Overcoming My Insanity
by Mastercdawg
Summary: Long love story. Thanks Katdog161. Jason escaped The Islands, but still has nightmares. His murdered brother's girlfriend, Daisy, is now Jason's girlfriend, after they fell in love shortly after they escaped. He struggles to keep sane after all that he's seen. Daisy is his whole world, & her love keeps him from reverting back to the Rakyat Warrior that he had become. Intro in chp 1
1. Chapter 1: About Last Night

**"_You may be right, I may be crazy, oh, but it just may be a lunatic you're looking for_**.**"**

~ (Billy Joel) "You May Be Right"

(Thanks to user Katdog161)

**LONG, BUT NEC****ESSARY INTRODUCTION (****Bear With Me)**

I wanted to create a romance story between two people that have experienced tragedy, loss, anguish, and despair. So, I thought that Katdog161's story gave me the perfect background setting.

The following story will not feel so much like a Far Cry Fanfic. I am using Far Cry 3 and _"__Heal My Insanity"_ as background material which sets the basis for the story. This is a sequel to the user Katdog161 story "_Heal My Insanity_" from a few years ago. I emailed Katdog161 and asked if I could have their permission to write a sequel and they said that it would be fine with them. Read the original story before mine. Jason is still haunted by his subconscious and his horrible thoughts and memories. Daisy was supposed to be 26 during Far Cry 3, but I made her 23 years old during the events of Far Cry 3. And Jason was about 24 then. This story is set roughly three to three and a half years after the game ended.

Story is told from Jason's third person POV (point of view). But a few Chapters will be told from Daisy's POV.

_Jason's thoughts and conscious/subconscious will be written in italics_

I wasn't that big of a Far Cry 3 fan, but I likes Katdog161's story about it. Also, Far Cry 3 is an old game by now, but I still wanted to write this story.

Thank you,

* * *

**_Overcoming My Insanity_**

-A Few Years later-

Chapter 1: {_About Last Night_}

* * *

(Current Time)

"I can't believe that I did that to Daisy." Jason said to Liza, as he looked down at the cup of coffee in his hands. "I… I'm… I'm a monster."

Jason stared down at his coffee, watching the steam rise, waiting for Liza to say something… to say _anything_ at all.

_She's silent Jason. She's speechless, at a loss of words. How else is someone supposed to respond to a story like that? Huh? _

_How else, Jason? _

_How else?_

"Jason…" she started to say.

Then, she leaned forward and placed her right hand on top of Jason's left hand. She wasn't disturbed or made uncomfortable by his missing finger anymore.

After the momentary silence Liza began again. "Jason… you are not a monster."

Jason lifted his eyes up from his staring at his clinched hands on his coffee, to look up at Liza. Liza had been looking him in the eyes.

When Jason's eyes met Liza's, he abruptly pulled his coffee and hands holding it away from Liza's hand and into his chest.

He then started to recline back in his chair. Liza also withdrew her arm from the table and proceeded to lean back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest.

"I am Liza, I _am_ a monster." Jason said. "How can you tell me that I'm not after what I just told you?"

Jason turned his head to the left and looked out the coffee shop's window, at the sandy white beach of Santa Monica.

Santa Monica was full of tourists and vacationers this time of year, it was summer after all. There are gift shops and kiosks everywhere, luring in visitors to buy souvenirs and cheap sunglasses.

Many of the locals of Santa Monica avoided the part of town close to the beach this time of year because it was always overcrowded with tourists.

But not Jason and Liza.

They loved this local coffee shop. They had first met each other here years ago, and when they _were_ dating, they would spend lots of time here talking and laughing together.

After Jason broke up with Liza and began dating Daisy, Liza wanted nothing to do with Jason. Eventually, after the hostility between the two of them dissolved away, they became friends again and repaired their relationship. Liza soon became Jason's best friend, and the only person other than Daisy, that he can confide in.

Daisy knows that both Jason and Liza don't have any lingering romantic feelings towards each other. Daisy is thankful that Liza is someone else other than herself, that Jason trusts. And he can trust Liza enough to tell his darkest thoughts and nightmares to, and it gives him some relief from his psychological pain and turmoil.

Liza would never look at him like he was a monster. No matter what the horrible experience was that happened to him on the islands, or how insane of a dream he had, Liza would understand.

"I'm sure that Daisy forgives you. You know how much she loves you." Liza said.

Jason turned his head away from the window and returned to face Liza.

"I know that she forgives me." Jason said. "I know that she understands… that she understands me. That she knows everything about me, and everything that I've… that _we've_ been through."

_Of course Daisy understands. Of course she understands you, Jason. _

_No woman could ever love a lunatic like yourself unless they understood you._

Jason continued. "Daisy knows that I dream about what happened to me back on the islands. She knows that I don't want to have these dreams. I don't always have dreams. Most nights I never have them, and those nights I will just sleep peacefully throughout the whole night and wake up the next morning feeling fine."

Jason stopped to take a long and slow sip of his coffee, which had cooled down to room temperature by now.

"But Liza… those nights when I _do_ dream, the dreams that I have feel so real. It feels like I'm actually there, like I'm really doing the things that I see myself doing." Jason said.

He added with emphasis. "But this is the first time that one of my dreams became real."

* * *

/

(Flashback to last night)

~_Jason's Dream_~

Jason was chasing Vaas through the jungle.

"I killed your brother Jason!" Vaas taunted.

"I fucking killed him, and now I'm going to kill the rest of your friends! They're fucked Jason, they're fucked! I'm going to kill them all, right in front of your eyes!" Vaas continued.

Jason felt like he was catching up to his antagonist.

Vaas continued. "But not that sexy little blonde. Fuck no! I'm going to keep her for myself. She will be my little plaything. Once I capture you again, I'm giving you tickets to the best seat in the house!"

Jason was almost within arm's reach… almost.

"You will be living the rest of your life in a cage and the only entertainment you'll have is watching me fuck that blonde!" Vaas shouted.

Jason increased his speed.

"I might even let my men have their fun with her, after I've had mine. How will that feel Jason? How will it feel being only a few feet from Daisy, and not being able to save her? Don't worry, I going to make sure that this fucking nightmare never ends!" Said Vaas.

Jason never stopped running after him. He couldn't let that happen to his friends. He couldn't let Vaas hurt Daisy… he couldn't let Vaas hurt _his_ Daisy.

Eventually, after what felt like ages, Jason caught up to Vaas. He gathered all his strength and leaped forward, grabbing hold of the back of Vaas's shirt collar, pulling them both to the ground.

Falling to the ground knocked the wind out of Jason.

Just as Jason started to get back onto his hands and knees, he felt a hard steel toed boot crash into the side of his head. Vaas's kick to Jason's face knocked him back to the ground.

And in an instant, Vaas was on top of Jason where he began furiously punching him in the face.

"Oh… you like it rough don't you Jason?!" Vaas asked in a taunting voice. "I bet you do! I _know_ you do! Because you're insane, motherfucker! As fucking insane as me!"

Vaas continued slamming his fists into Jason's bloody face, all the while cackling like a maniac. Jason struggled to muster the strength to force Vaas off him.

"Come on, Jason." Vaas taunted. "Just fucking give up!"

Jason could feel himself blacking out. He could feel himself giving up. His willpower was wasting away.

_You're pathetic Jason. Just pathetic. You can't save yourself, you couldn't save Grant, and you can't save Daisy._

_Daisy… Daisy… my Daisy…_

Vaas continued to laugh manically.

_I can't let him hurt Daisy… I can't… I won't… I won't!_

Jason had felt a sudden surge of anger course through his body.

_What are you doing?! Get up Jason, get up and fight back! You need to fight this piece of shit! You need to kill him! You need to kill him Jason!_

His strength having returned to him, he quickly shot out his right hand up in the air to intercept Vaas's left fist before it reached his face. Jason twisted Vaas's so violently that it forced him to let out a shout of pain. He was confident that he had broken or at the least dislocated Vaas's wrist.

Having seized the moment, Jason then threw the psychopath off him.

Jason then let his renewed vigor take control of his body. Jason was then back up on his feet and stood upright and ready face off with Vaas.

He was surprised to see that Vaas was already standing.

Jason wondered how Vaas was able to recover himself so fast, when just seconds before he was rolling on the ground and clutching his injured wrist.

He looked Jason in the eyes. "What are you waiting for motherfucker? Come kill me!"

Jason rushed towards Vaas and smashed into him, throwing him backwards until he collided up against a tree.

Jason wrapped both his hands around Vaas's neck. He gripped Jason's wrists and attempted to wrench himself free. It was a futile action.

Jason never loosened his hands, never stopped crushing his throat. Jason wouldn't stop until he saw the pirate's face turn blue.

He wouldn't stop, couldn't stop…

/

Jason awoke from his nightmare. As soon as he did, his eyes opened wide in horror at what he beheld in front of him.

It was Daisy.

Jason was on top of Daisy.

Her frightened eyes looking up at him. Jason had his hands around her small neck. He was acting out his dream… he had turned his nightmare into a reality.

"Oh my God!" Jason shouted. "Daisy!"

Jason took his hands away from Daisy's neck. "Daisy? Daisy? Are you okay? Daisy?!"

Jason picked himself up off Daisy and out of their bed. He hastily ran over to the right side of the bed where Daisy sleeps. Daisy had raised herself up to lean her back against the bedframe, at the same time she was gasping for air.

"Jason…" Daisy said weakly. "Jason I… _(cough), (cough)_." Her attempt to speak caused Daisy to have a fit of coughing.

Jason couldn't ever have ever felt worse than he did at this moment.

"Daisy… I… I'm so sorry. I didn't know what I was doing. I… I… was dreaming… and… my dream… my dream was…" Jason tried to continue but was at a loss of words.

Speechless, Jason got down on his knees and lowered his head. He couldn't bring himself to look at Daisy, to look at her face.

Instead, he gently reached out his right hand to place it on Daisy's knee.

Jason left his hand on top of the thin white bedsheet covering Daisy's legs for what felt like minutes.

With his head held down in sorrow, Jason began to feel tears slide down his face.

Several drops hit the floor beneath him and he watched as they were slowly absorbed into the carpeting.

_Look at yourself Jason. _

_You're a monster. _

_You became a monster back on the Rook Islands. _

_You were a monster when you left the islands. _

_You were a monster on the pirate ship. _

_And, what's the use in trying to pretend... _

_You're still a monster today._

Daisy finally broke the moment of silence.

"Jason." she began, having regained her voice. "I'm alright, I'm okay."

Daisy tenderly took hold of Jason's face with her soft hands.

She said. "You were having a nightmare, I _know_ that you were having a nightmare. Your dream must have felt real, that's why you acted out. But it was only a bad dream Jason, just a dream. It wasn't real."

Jason kept his head down, he just couldn't look up. Unable to withstand the pain of seeing Daisy's face after what he did, he left his gaze down at the floor.

"Jason… please look at me." Daisy said, her voice was so calm.

Jason took his hand off her knee and used it to brush away the remaining tears on his face. After swiping the tears away, he finally lifted his head up. Daisy had leaned forward her slim figure, closer to Jason.

The bedsheet had fallen away from her chest and leaving her bare breasts exposed.

_She is so beautiful. I love her so much… I love her so much and yet I hurt her. _

_How could you love her Jason? _

_You don't strangle the woman you love. _

_But you're a monster, aren't you Jason? _

_A monster can't love… if they did, then they wouldn't be a monster. Isn't that right Jason?_

Daisy's eyes were fixed on his.

"Jason listen to me." She switched to a slightly sterner tone than she was using earlier. "It was just a nightmare. I know you didn't mean to do that to me. Your dream must have just felt so real, that you began to let your subconscious take over. You couldn't see the difference between your dream and reality."

Daisy pulled Jason's head into her chest and embraced him. Jason was still very distraught over his actions. He then clinched his hands into fists as his body began to shake in a subtle manner.

"I'm alright." Daisy said trying to comfort Jason. "I'm alright, I'm okay, I'm okay. I love you Jason."

Usually, whenever Jason awoke from one his nightmares, he would be in a panicked state. He would almost always wake Daisy up with his heavy breathing, and then Daisy would roll over to hug him.

This would help Jason relax.

He would then rest his head on Daisy's chest while she stroked his hair and he would listen to her heartbeat.

He loved listening to Daisy's heart beating inside of her chest.

It would be the only thing that would clam him down, allowing him to fall back to sleep and not have anymore nightmares for the rest of the night.

But this time however, nothing could console Jason.

He began to speak again, his voice shaking. "It's not okay Daisy. I could have killed you! What if I didn't realize what I was doing? What if I didn't stop… what if I didn't stop… with my hands… around your…"

Jason was unable to finish as he started to choke up. And then the tears came again. Falling from his face to land on Daisy's breasts.

"Please just come back to bed. Please Jason, come back to me." Daisy said.

After a few moments, Jason's tears had stopped. He did feel better. Daisy could always take his pain away. All he had to do was hold onto her, and she would tell him that everything would be alright.

Jason stood up from Daisy's embrace and proceeded to head back over to the right side of the bed. Daisy rolled over on her left side to face Jason. She lifted the blanket up for him to slide under.

She was completely naked underneath the covers.

Daisy and Jason would often sleep without any clothing on, even on the nights when they didn't make love.

Santa Monica was warm year-round.

And on the few cold nights of the year, they would closely hold onto each other under the sheets, insulating their natural warmth.

Jason hopped back into bed and under the covers. He moved over to the middle of the bed to put his arms around Daisy.

She curled her arms up to her chest and moved into Jason's embrace.

Daisy gave him a quick kiss on the lips, and then laid her head on Jason's chest. They intertwined their legs together. Jason felt content now, he was in a relaxed state.

"I'm sorry that I hurt you." Jason said. "Can you forgive me Daisy?"

_Please forgive me. _

_I need you to forgive me. _

_You are my sanity. _

_Without you… I'm afraid. _

_I'm afraid of… the monster… _

_I'm afraid of becoming the monster. _

_Daisy..._

_My Daisy..._

She nuzzled herself even closer to Jason and moved her head up to Jason's chin.

"Jason… of course I do." She said, as she reached out her slender arm and wrapped it around Jason's side.

She continued, "I know that the man I love would never hurt me. That wasn't you Jason. Your nightmare overwhelmed you, and you didn't know what you were doing."

Jason felt Daisy's soft blonde hair brush against the skin on his neck. He loved holding her. If he could, he would hold her in his arms forever and never let go.

"We will talk tomorrow after I come back home from work, okay?" Daisy asked.

"Yes, I want to talk to you. I always feel better when I tell you about my dreams. It really helps me." Jason stopped talking momentarily to lower his head and kiss the top of Daisy's head.

He lifted his head back and then resumed speaking.

"I'm meeting Liza tomorrow around twelve to get coffee, we both happened to be off work tomorrow. If it's alright with you, I'd like to tell her about my dream and what happened tonight." Jason said.

"Is that okay with you Daisy?" He asked.

"Yes, that's fine with me." She said. Jason could tell that she was drifting back to sleep.

"I want you to talk with Liza. I'm glad that you have her as a friend. Talking with her helps you, I notice that you usually feel better once you've told me or Liza what's troubling you." Daisy said.

"Thank you." Jason said. "Thank you for understanding. I'm happy when we're together."

Daisy purred in a sweet way. "I promised you, remember? I told you that you didn't ever have to sleep alone again. I'm here for you Jason. I'll always be here for you. I love you."

"We'll talk later, I promise." Daisy started.

She yawned. "But right now, I need to go back to sleep, I have to be at work in the morning. I'll kiss you goodbye before I leave tomorrow. I love you Jason."

Sleep also took a hold of Jason. He let his worry and his pain retreat back to the darkest dwelling of his mind. Now content, Jason's eyes began to close, and he let the world fade away as he fell into sleep.

"I love you too Daisy. Goodnight." He said.

_I'll always love you, always, until my last day, I will love you Daisy._

Jason held on to Daisy throughout the duration of the night. He needed Daisy. She was the treatment to his insanity. When Daisy wasn't with him, he was afraid… afraid of the monster… of becoming _the_ monster.

_But not tonight. You won't become a monster tonight. Tonight, you're Jason… just Jason. _

_But… what about tomorrow night?_

_Who will you be tomorrow night?_

* * *

/

(To Be Continued)

/

**A/N:** I promise that I will finish this story. The future chapters will be better. NOTE, this will not be an "action-packed" story.

The entire story will probably be a long one. I'm the type of person who likes stories with lots of extra, even unneccessary, details.

I love feedback.


	2. Chapter 2: Making Small Talk

Chapter 2: {_Making Small Talk_}

* * *

(A Few Days Later)

Jason pulled his car up into the driveway and parked. The driveway was on the right, adjacent to the house.

He had just gotten off work. The time was around five in the afternoon. Jason was able to get out of work a few hours earlier than he was scheduled. His boss told him that if he wanted to, he could work just half his shift for today because he had worked a couple hours of overtime while filling in for a co-worker last week.

He worked at a mega home improvement and hardware store. Mostly, Jason worked in the storage area in the back of the store, taking inventory and helping unload deliveries.

Working in the backroom was relaxing for Jason. He worked alone for the majority of his work day. Being by himself, and away from the sales floor and the customers, was what Jason enjoyed the most about his job.

His mind was at ease when he was isolated in the backroom.

Jason would sometimes think to himself in a sardonic and crass way;

_I need to be kept hidden in the back. You don't want the monster escaping, do you?_

Daisy's house was small, but she and Jason didn't need very much room. It was a single-story and one-bedroom home. A tall white wooden plank fence enclosed the backyard. There wasn't much space in their backyard, as all the houses in this neighborhood were built within close proximity to each other.

Jason stopped on his way to the front door. He then let himself have a moment to start reminiscing about this house's history.

When Daisy moved into this house years ago, the backyard only consisted of a tiny shed in one corner, and one small tree in the other corner. The rest of the yard was grass.

Just two months after she had moved into her house, Daisy began planting flowers and ferns in the backyard. At first, she only had gardened the area around the backdoor.

As months, and then years went by, her garden gradually expanded. Whenever Daisy had free time, she would spent it maintaining her garden. Every now and again, the garden would grow an inch at a time.

The changes to the garden every month or so, were not very noticeable. Like looking at each individual photo in a time-lapse film, most people couldn't see the difference in each still frame.

However, Jason always could spot the little changes to the garden.

When Grant was alive and was dating Daisy, he never gave any interest in Daisy's garden. But Jason did.

In years past, before the Rook Islands, Jason and his group of friends would on a few occasions, have celebrations and parties with their college friends here.

Despite her house and backyard being small, Daisy was the only one in their social circle that lived in a house. Everyone else either lived in an apartment or with their parents. So, the responsibility fell on Daisy to be the one to host any gathering.

Grant always invited Jason and Liza to these parties. The pair of them would usually attend the parties together.

Jason reluctantly accompanied Liza when they went over to Daisy's. The only reason he would come, was because he wanted to make Liza happy. Liza loved the party scene. But Jason wasn't really that fond or comfortable with parties and big gatherings. Although, he occasionally enjoyed them.

Everybody at these parties knew _not_ to get close to Daisy's garden. She didn't want any drunken buffoon accidentally stepping on her flowers. Too much work had gone into that garden. With tooth and nail, Daisy would protect it.

During parties, Jason would catch Daisy whenever she was near to her garden and start chatting with her.

Talking with Daisy was the only thing that Jason looked forward to whenever he came over for a party. Other than Daisy, no one else there mattered to him. Just Daisy, only Daisy.

Even when Liza was still his girlfriend, Jason never enjoyed talking with her as much as he did with Daisy.

Sometimes, Jason would feel slightly ashamed of himself for preferring the company of his brother's girlfriend more than his own girlfriend. He figured that this aspect of his personality, made him a bad boyfriend.

He used to think to himself;

"_You have your own girlfriend Jason. Why don't you want to spend more time with Liza instead of Grant's girlfriend? You can't fall in love with her, Jason. She's not yours to love. She can never be yours. You have to stay away. Cut her loose before you develop feelings for her. Just let her go. It's Liza that you should want, not Daisy._"

Jason would start talking with Daisy about her garden whenever she was standing alone. Whether it was new flowers, or flowers that had just recently blossomed, Jason noticed the changes. She smiled whenever he mentioned the subtle differences that Daisy made to her garden.

Jason loved to see her smile. Coming over to the party would be worth it if he could make Daisy smile.

Just once… just one little smile… that was all he needed.

Jason recalled a particularly fond memory he had from one of Daisy's parties.

_Was it that night? Was it that night when I fell in love Daisy?_

* * *

/

(Flashback)

During one of her parties years ago, Jason walked over to where Daisy was standing. She was by herself holding a glass of red wine and spectating her garden. She had socialized enough that evening and wanted time to herself.

"I like the new arrangement." Jason said to Daisy.

She turned her head sideways and looked at Jason. She must have not known that he had walked up beside her.

She then responded to his observation. "What do you mean? I haven't planted any new flowers in months."

Jason gave her a witty smirk.

"Yes, I know that the flowers are the same." He said, smiling. "But you did switch up the flowers that were here."

Jason pointed his right index finger at the garden.

"You dug up the tulips and replanted them where the white roses were. And the white roses were moved and replanted where the tulips used to be." He said.

Daisy giggled at that.

Smiling, Daisy then said. "Oh Jason, you're the only person who ever spots the changes to my garden."

She then took a sip of wine.

"I appreciate that at least somebody takes some small interest in my garden." She said to Jason.

"Your brother doesn't care one way or another about the garden. He never even asks me about it. Whenever I come home with new flowers or gardening tools, Grant doesn't inquire at all into the work to the garden that I'm planning on doing." Daisy said.

"Yeah, that's Grant for you. He has always been one to play the macho guy." Jason said.

He then gave Daisy a sly grin, and lightly nudged her on the shoulder with his elbow.

"I doubt that he'll ever start discussing flowers with you anytime soon. He doesn't want to shatter his tough guy persona." He said.

That comment made Daisy laugh.

Jason chuckled as well.

* * *

/

(Present Time)

Jason brought himself back from his memories and continued along the cobbled walkway towards the front door.

Then he noticed something. Somehow, he had missed it when he got home.

Liza's blue sedan was parked by the sidewalk out in front of the house.

He was incredulous. How had he not seen a car parked outside of Daisy's house? He even had driven right past it, and still hadn't noticed it at the time.

_Maybe I really am crazy. Is Liza's car actually there, or am I just imagining it?_

Jason then shook his head at that notion. He knew that the car was real. Jason hadn't ever had hallucinations before.

_You're crazy Jason. But you're not that crazy… not yet._

Jason had an idea why Liza was here. He figured that she stopped by to visit Daisy. Jason very much doubted that Liza just happened to stop by. He especially doubted that she happened to come by at the same time that he was supposed to still be at work.

No, this _definitely_ wasn't a coincidence.

It was obvious to Jason why Liza was here. She was here to talk to Daisy. And he knew that they weren't going to engage themselves in meaningless small talk.

_No, they're talking about me of course. About my behavior, and about my actions. And… they're going to be discussing that night. Oh, that horrible, horrible night. _

(Jason attempted to ignore the thoughts racing around inside of his head, but his subconscious wouldn't allow that to happen)

_The night that Daisy finally saw the real you. The night she saw the monster… the monster Jason, the one that's been hiding underneath your skin._

_A monster desperately trying to escape its dungeon. How much longer can you keep that monster locked away? _

_It wants to get out. The monster wants you to let it out. It wants to go back. Back to the Rook Islands… back to its home. It's where the monster belongs… it's where you belong._

_The monster followed you back home. You didn't leave it behind, you let it come back with you. No, you brought it back with you. Why didn't you leave your monster back on the islands? You should have stayed at Citra's Temple._

Jason started shaking his head. "No… I belong here… with Daisy."

Jason heard himself talking out loud.

He looked around to see if any of his neighbors had seen him going crazy. He didn't want any of that attention to be drawn at Daisy from her neighbors.

No, no one around. That was fortunate for Jason. He didn't need another person thinking he was crazy. There were already enough people who thought that.

_Yes, everyone thinks your crazy. _

_That's why all your friends left you one by one. _

_They saw you kill, back on the islands. Even though you did it to save them, once they witnessed your willingness to kill, no… not willingness… what's the word? Zealotry? No. Fanaticism? No, no, no. What's the word? It doesn't matter. Your friends watched as you killed scores of pirates and mercenaries. _

_And even though you killed all those men to save each of your friends, instead of understanding, they looked at you as a monster. _

Jason finally managed to pull himself out of his subconscious prison.

He hated thinking like that.

Those thoughts brought him nothing but pain. These thoughts reopened his old psychological wounds and inflicted new ones on him. Wounds would then turn into scars, and the scars, the scars would never disappear.

His subconscious was his greatest villain. A foe that he was unable to vanquish. This fiend was driven by only one motive… to destroy the last remaining shred of Jason's humanity, and his sanity.

Jason walked up to the door and opened it very slowly. Not wanting to alert Liza or Daisy.

As he opened the door, Jason began to hear their voices. Their conversation became more and more audible with each inch as he got closer. Lightly stepping into the house to avoid being heard.

Jason knew how to be stealthy.

He had gotten much practice back on the islands. Pirates and privateers alike would need to be on high alert if they wanted to avoid being killed by an invisible Jason.

Careless and arrogant enemies back on the Rook Islands, met their fate in the shadows. Their last thoughts being only regret. The regret for having chosen the lifestyle of a pirate, rapist, murderer, bandit, or a similar occupation befitting that of a savage sadist.

They only saw one last thing before they died. A spurting geyser of blood erupting from their chest, the result of a cold steel blade thrust through their back.

But this time, Jason wasn't sneaking around for the sake of causing violence. Only to eavesdrop.

Even though he knew what their conversation was about, he felt like he needed to listen to it. He needed to hear what their _real_ feelings were about him. The things that they wouldn't say to his face.

_Yes, you want to hear what they really think about you Jason. Not what they tell you in an attempt to put your worries at ease. No… they just tell you what you want to hear._

Jason entered the house, and lightly closed the door shut.

Daisy's house was quite open. It only had three doors inside the house; one at the bathroom, one at the bedroom, and a pair of double doors that opened to the hallway closet.

Liza and Daisy were sitting on the couch in the living room. They couldn't see Jason at all.

Once someone walks into the house through the front door, they are met with a wall directly in front of them. To the right there is another wall. The left side is open and ends in a ninety-degree corner where you take a right turn and then you are in the living room.

The layout of the house was convenient and attributed to Jason being able to stand only a few feet away without being noticed.

Jason tuned into what Daisy and Liza were saying. All the while he was leaning up against the wall.

He heard Daisy talking;

"I wish that there was something, anything that I can do to help him. Some days he's doing fine, and I can tell that he is content, even happy. He will laugh and smile, and he is genuinely happy. It's those days when Jason acts like he used to." Daisy said.

"You remember how he was before, don't you?" She asked Liza.

"Yes, I remember the person he was." Liza responded.

"Charming with a good attitude, yes I remember that about him. It was the reason I started dating him." Liza chuckled lightly.

Daisy then continued on. "He used to be so lighthearted and caring. Always able to make anyone laugh. He never made you feel uncomfortable or like you didn't matter. Jason would be the first one to lend a hand to help any of his friends. He brought positive energy wherever he went. But now he's… he's…"

She paused for a few seconds.

Daisy started talking again, her voice sounding slightly different than before.

"Liza… what he did that night. What he did to _me_. I've never seen him lash out like that." Daisy said.

"Daisy, you know that he–" Liza began to say.

She was unable to finish what she was trying to say, because Daisy had interrupted her.

Daisy interjected, "He was right there, on top of me. I looked into his eyes, and I didn't see Jason. The person, the _thing_ that was attacking me, was definitely not Jason. He didn't even recognize me while his hands were around my neck."

Jason heard Daisy sniffle.

Then she resumed. "The _real_ Jason would never, never try and hurt me. Even on the days when we argue and have disagreements, he will let me have the last word, and end up agreeing with me or telling me he's sorry or whatever. I think that he wants me to not ever feel like I'm the bad guy in our relationship. I assume that he doesn't want to start any conflict with me. It's like the only thing he cares about is keeping me content with everything. He hates seeing me upset in any way, he wants to be the perfect boyfriend."

Again, Daisy paused momentarily, and sniffled. Her voice slowly started sounding more and more shaky with each word.

With a sad voice, Daisy continued. "I wish I could help him. To stop all of his nightmares. I want the old Jason to come back. Nothing I ever say to him seems to console him. He tries to hide his inner struggle from me. Usually he will downplay the reality of his problems. But I can see past his facade that he puts up. I'm afraid that someday, every last piece of the Jason that I love will be gone and will never return. I don't want that to happen, but I don't how to stop it. Jason can't become a monster. Someway, somehow, there has to be something that I can do. There has to be a way helping Jason, before he's too far gone."

Daisy stopped talking. Jason wondered why it was that she had stopped speaking.

And then, Jason knew why she'd stopped talking. He heard something that he'd whished wasn't real. But it was real.

Daisy… Daisy was crying.

It wasn't hysterical sobbing. No, she was only crying very softly. But it was enough to turn Jason's stomach.

_Oh Jesus. Don't cry Daisy. I can't stand you crying. I want to hold you, to tell you everything with be alright._

_No, no it won't be alright. But you already know this, don't you? Don't you Jason? _

"It's alright Daisy." Liza said. "Jason isn't a monster, he will never be a monster."

Even though he risked being seen, Jason poked his head around the corner. He needed to see the two of them.

Liza was hugging Daisy, trying to be some sort of comfort to Daisy.

"We'll find a way to help him, I promise. I will assist you anyway that I can." Liza told Daisy.

"Thank you Liza. You are a good friend." Daisy said.

Daisy was still crying, but not as intensely as she had been earlier.

"Come on Daisy." Liza said. "Show me your garden. I know that your garden can always change your mood. And what really makes you happy is when you manage to grab a person by their ear and bore them to death talking about flowers."

Daisy laughed at Liza's witty joke.

"All right. come on then." Daisy said to Liza.

Daisy stood up from the couch and Liza followed. They walked towards the back door, and then the patio.

Jason pulled his head back behind the wall before either of them saw him.

His heart felt like it had been yanked out of his chest.

_I promise Daisy, I'll fix myself. I don't know how, but I will. I have too. Otherwise, I will drive you away, forever._

Jason gathered his composure and went to the front door. He had to leave. He couldn't go to Daisy, not yet. Time needed to pass before he felt well enough to have this important conversation with the woman he loved.

He decided to go back to his car and leave. Jason would return home in a few hours. Daisy would be expecting him to come back from work then.

Jason walked out the front door and got into his car. Pulling out of the driveway, Jason wondered how he was going to spend the next few hours.

_I want to talk with her as soon as I walk into the house. We need to talk about how to fix me._

_If I can be fixed at all…_

* * *

/

(To Be Continued)

Please review if you like the story.


	3. Chapter 3: We Will Talk After, I Promise

**A/N: **Sex scene.

Chapter 3: {_We Will Talk After, I Promise_}

* * *

/

(A Few Hours Later)

Jason had driven through Santa Monica to kill time before he returned home to Daisy.

The coffee shop was where Jason spent the majority of his time while he was out. While he was there, he bought a small decaffeinated coffee. He didn't want to be awake all night.

The rest of the time was spent at the beach. Jason parked in a public parking lot which was right in front of the beach and sat on the trunk of his car. Most people that visited the beach, parked here.

Although there were not very many visitors at the beach when Jason was there. It was around dusk, and the sun had begun to set.

There were a few people there. Jason saw several children and their parents. He also watched a few couples walk across the sand.

One couple, in particular, caught Jason's gaze.

Two teenagers, a boy and a girl, were holding each other's hands. The girl had bright blonde hair which was done up in a short ponytail. The boy's hair was short and brown, and somewhat unkempt.

Those two had reminded Jason about Daisy and himself one night. That night they too had been holding hands and walking along the sand beside the ocean.

Jason had smirked when he watched them walk by. He imagined that on that night when he was walking with Daisy, his hair had probably looked pretty messy as well.

The teenage couple were almost a mirror image of Jason and Daisy. Jason wished the best for them.

_You should treat her like a queen young man. Don't drive her away. You don't want to lose her, to lose your sanity._

* * *

/

After driving around town for a few hours, Jason came back home.

It was a quarter after nine at night when Jason finally returned back to Daisy's house. She would be expecting him now.

Jason had left Daisy's home after overhearing her conversation with Liza. Jason had to leave. He had come home early from work to discover Daisy and Liza talking about his mental state.

He didn't want to Daisy to know that he was there, at least not yet. Jason now had to decide whether or not he would admit to Daisy that he had eavesdropped on their conversation.

Giving it some thought, he chose to tell Daisy about what he heard. He was always honest with her, and he didn't want to lie to her. In all the time that they had been a couple, Jason had never told a single lie to Daisy.

And he wasn't going to start now.

_No matter how fucked up I am, at least Daisy knows that I will be honest with her. It is one of my positive characteristics._

_At least, it's the only one that I have left._

After leaving his car parked in the driveway, Jason slowly headed towards the front door. Once he reached the front door, he took a momentary pause.

He began contemplating and processing what exactly he would say to Daisy. How could he bring up the fact that he was eavesdropping her and Liza, and didn't say a thing to them?

And more importantly, now that he knew how Daisy _really_ felt, what was he supposed to say to her?

Jason tried to think, and he bounced around some of these possible questions inside of his mind.

"_Daisy, what are we going to do?"_

"_How can you help me?"_

"_Can I be helped at all?"_

And then, Jason came to the worst question of them all.

"_Daisy… should I leave? I should, right? Before I hurt you again? Maybe nothing can save me. What about when I eventually turn into the monster? And when the last piece of the Jason that you love is killed by this demon, don't you think that it would benefit you to be far, far, away?"_

That last thought tore Jason down.

_If I do become a monster Daisy, I don't want your anywhere near me. If that monster hurts you, oh god, I don't know what I would do. Hurting you once was horrible enough, I can't imagine what I would do with myself if that happens again._

Jason finally built up the gumption to open the door. No more avoiding this conversation. He didn't want to waste any more of his time hiding from what needs to be said.

_If Daisy loves me as much as I love her, we will figure something out. We'll find some way to fix me. To help me become "Jason" again._

(Jason entered the house)

Jason knew that Daisy was still up and hadn't gone to bed yet. As he was pulling into the driveway, he saw a dim light glowing through the window shades.

Daisy had the television turned on and was probably sitting on the couch.

Daisy never followed any specific television series. She was the type of person that can flip through the channels to any show that was on and enjoy watching it. Even if she had no idea what the show's plot was about.

She could always find entertainment wherever she looked. And not just on the television. Daisy found joy in the little things.

Jason loved that about her. It was one of her many traits that he loved.

Just as he predicted, Daisy was right there on the couch.

"Hi daisy." Jason said meekly as he walked over to the kitchen counter and laid down his keys on the countertop.

"I'm glad your home." Daisy smiled at Jason. "Come over here, sit down with me."

She must have just gotten done taking a shower. Sitting there with her legs crossed, Daisy was wearing her favorite pink bathrobe. A white towel wrapped on top of her head covering her long blonde hair.

"Alright, I coming." Jason gave her a smile in return.

He started walking towards the couch.

The couch was a loveseat. Daisy had been sitting in the middle, but scooted herself down over to her left side of the couch to make room for Jason to sit down.

"What are you watching?" Jason inquired. He sat down on the couch to the right of Daisy.

"Oh, I have no idea." She chuckled slightly. "Something about this secret agent, or maybe he's a navy seal. Whatever, something like that. He is trying to catch this android who is pretending to be this dead guy. At least I think that's what is going on."

"You sound like a devoted fan. Thank goodness you're here with me, otherwise I wouldn't know what's going on." Jason said jokingly.

Daisy laughed at Jason's witty joke.

She then removed the towel that had been drying off her hair. Blonde hair fell down over her shoulders.

Daisy's hair was naturally straight. But, without using a straightening iron, her hair would remain slightly crinkled. Resembling long blonde zigzags, her hair would get ever more crooked the further away from her head that it extended.

She rested her head on Jason's shoulder. Her hair was still a little wet, as Jason felt the water soak into his t-shirt.

He didn't mind it.

Cuddling with Daisy was something that he looked forward to every night. She would make all the problems that Jason was facing, disappear. Just so long as he held her close.

After a few minutes of siting on the couch, Jason started to get up and off the couch.

As he rose up, Daisy removed her head from his shoulder.

"Where are you going?" She asked. "Aren't you going to watch this show with me?"

"Yes I am. I will be right back." Jason answered her. "But I want to take my work clothes off. Once I do, I will come right back."

"Okay." She said

Somehow Jason had forgotten the important conversation that he wanted to have with Daisy. He then remembered this piece of importance as soon as he stood up. Something had reminded him.

He turned his head towards Daisy.

"Listen, Daisy." Jason said to her.

She lifted her green eyes up to meet Jason.

"What's wrong Jason?" Daisy asked.

Jason was quick to answer her. He was looking forward. Looking down the hallway. Not at Daisy.

"Oh no, nothing is wrong. But… it's just that… well… I think that… we should… we need to…" Jason started to stammer towards the end of his sentence. Turning into a stumble tongue.

He had difficulty converting his thoughts into coherent words.

Still stammering, Jason then felt something gently grip his left hand. Daisy had taken a hold of his hand. She was trying to comfort him.

"It's alright Jason," Daisy said, "you can tell me what's on your mind. I hope you know that."

As soon as Daisy took hold of his hand, he immediately felt relaxed. Jason turned his head towards the woman he loved.

"It's just that, we really need to talk. I have so many things I need to say to you. Things you should know." Jason said, trying not to swallowing his tongue.

"Yes, you're right. We do need to talk." Daisy said in a no nonsense tone.

Daisy's response surprised him. Not what she said, but it was the _way_ that she said it.

Her voice was playful just minutes prior. But she was serious now.

"We will talk. I will be back in a few minutes." Jason said.

She let go of his hand, and he proceeded down the hallway. Once in their bedroom, Jason took off his tan kaki pants and his work t-shirt. The shirt had the company name of the hardware store that he worked at, festooned across the front.

He took his socks off as well. Jason and Daisy shared one closet, which they divided into two halves. On half for each of them.

Inside his half of the closet, Jason had several plain white t-shirts. He chose one and put it on.

Jason was now only attired in a pair of plaid flannel boxers and a white shirt.

The moment he dreaded was here. He had to talk with Daisy… about _everything_.

Walking out of the bedroom, Jason prepared himself for this difficult talk with Daisy.

_Just stay with me Daisy, please? Together we will find a way to save me. I can't go on living without you by my side. No woman other than you, will ever accept me for what I am._

Jason turned the light off in the bedroom and started walking back to return to Daisy.

"Okay Daisy, there has been something I…" He was unable to finish. He had been distracted by Daisy's appearance.

She had removed her pink bathrobe and had it bundled up on sitting on her lap.

Now, she was completely naked. She took her hands and pulled her loose hair dangling over her breasts, back behind her shoulders.

Exposed breasts teased Jason's eyes, as he couldn't bring himself to look away.

Daisy was first to speak. "What's wrong? You're looking at me like you've seen a ghost."

"Oh… uh… you just surprised me is all." Jason spoke like an immature boy who just saw a woman naked for the first time.

She responded giggling, "You've seen me naked plenty of times before, so you shouldn't look so surprised."

"I thought you were going to sit with me, remember?" She asked in an enticing manner.

"Oh, yeah, uh… right. I'm coming over." Jason said.

Still wide eyed, Jason walked over to the couch and sat down in the same spot as earlier.

As distracted as he was, Jason still remembered that they needed to talk.

Before Jason could get a word out, Daisy had taken hold of his left hand with her right. She moved up close to Jason. Close enough that their hips were touching.

Then she laid her head on Jason's shoulder. She sighed in an expression that signified her content and comfort while she cuddled with Jason.

Their Television was still broadcasting the same show as earlier. But at this point, neither one of them were paying very much attention to it.

All he wanted to do for the remainder of the night was to just stay right where he was. To stay there all night and hold Daisy in his arms. He wanted to forget that the rest of world existed.

All that matters to him is that Daisy is with him. It was a simple desire, but it meant everything to Jason.

Jason's conscious began to urge him into action. As much as he wanted to avoid talking to Daisy about his dilemma, he knew that this wasn't an option.

_I have to stop halting this inevitable conversation. It's time._

"Daisy… we _really_ need to talk. There's so much I need to tell you. None of it are things that you'll like hearing, but _have_ to be said." Jason said.

He fortified himself in anticipation of how Daisy would respond.

Instead of a vocal response, Daisy lifted her head off of Jason's shoulder. And in the blink of an eye, she held Jason's head in her hand and pulled him towards her lips.

Daisy gave Jason a long passionate kiss on the lips. This lasted for over a minute.

As their lips joined together, Daisy started to softly moan.

Jason was perplexed by what was occurring.

_Here I am trying to have an important conversation, and she starts kissing me. What is she doing?_

While still kissing Jason, Daisy reached her left hand down from his face. She then very lightly laid her hand on top of Jason's manhood.

Jason's cock slowly began to stiffen.

He wanted her. He wanted to fuck her right here, right now.

But, he was still determined to have that oh so important conversation.

Jason reluctantly raised his hands and took a hold of Daisy's head. He gently pulled her away from his lips.

"Please Daisy, I'm sorry, but we really have to talk." He said.

Daisy gave him a sly grin. "Don't worry, we will talk after."

She moved her face in close to kiss Jason again. As she moved close to put her lips on his, Jason leaned back before she could.

Jason needed her assurance that they are going to have that conversation.

He looked her directly in the eyes. Her emerald eyes met his.

"I promised myself that we'd talk. Promise me Daisy, you have to promise me." He couldn't let this go, Jason had to have her promise. His mind had to be set at ease.

_I understand what you're attempting. What your trying to do to me. You want to distract me, you want to avoid this conversation. Believe me Daisy, I don't want to have this conversation any more than you do. _

_But we have to have it. We've come to that bridge, and it's now time that we must cross it. We need to cross it together._

Blonde hair hung over her shoulders while she was leaning forward.

Jason never averted his gaze from Daisy's eyes. Daisy relented and spoke up.

"We _will_ talk after, I promise. Jason… I promise." She said.

With that said, Jason was finally able to relax.

Now, he could savor this sudden expression of intimacy with his lover. Daisy was only woman he'd ever _truly_ been in love with. Even when she wasn't _his_ girlfriend, he couldn't stop himself from being in love with her. To Jason, she was the perfect woman.

"Okay Daisy, we'll talk after." Jason said sensually, "Yes… after… after."

Jason leaned in and kissed Daisy. Both of their eyes closed, savoring the moment.

During their short exchange of words, Daisy kept her hand on Jason's manhood. Slowly and oh so gently stroking him through his flannel boxers.

With their lips interlocked, Jason became oblivious to the rest of the world around him, and the television which was still turned on.

Jason turned his torso slightly to be squared up with Daisy.

His eyes still closed, Jason reached his right hand down. Down to find Daisy's womanhood.

Daisy's right leg had been bent up and laying on top of the couch set. Her left foot still on the floor.

Warm fingers rubbed across Daisy's clitoris, causing her to quietly moan in pleasure. Her moaning echoed inside of Jason's mouth.

Jason's then penetrated his fingers slowly into her. She became wet with excitement.

Jason enjoyed pleasuring his lover. He felt it was his responsibility to cause Daisy to climax whenever they made love. This was something that he was able to succeed in doing, every time.

A few moments passed, and then Jason pulled his lips away from Daisy's.

He leaned down and started kissing Daisy's breasts.

"Oh… Jason." She moaned. Her voice filled with satisfaction.

Daisy removed her hand from Jason's cock and placed both hand on top of Jason head. She ran her fingers through his scraggly hair.

Jason began to lick and suck on Daisy's nipples. He alternated between both nipples, taking one in his mouth at a time.

Her nipples turned stiff inside his mouth.

After about a minute of this, Jason descended his mouth down across Daisy's soft nude skin and in the direction of her pussy.

Very soon, he had reached his destination between Daisy's hips. Spreading her legs wide open, Daisy eagerly anticipated her lover's mouth.

Daisy had very short blonde pubic hair, shaved using the lowest setting on an electric razor. Resembling a stubble of short golden bristles.

She had a fruity scent to her entire body. It was the kind of body wash that she used all over her skin. Having just recently showered, Daisy tasted fresh to Jason.

His tongue slid inside of her pussy, causing her instantly gasp in pleasure.

Her moaning was continuous. A pleasant sound to Jason's ears.

Tasting her sweet juices, Jason knew that he would fulfil his responsibility tonight. He would give Daisy the orgasm that she deserved.

_This is not about fulfilling my desires, it's only Daisy's happiness that I care about. _

_Only her desires matter. _

_She's all that matters to me. _

_She is my whole universe._

Jason gripped his hands around Daisy's legs, directly under her knees, and pushed her legs back even more than they already were. He was glad that she was so flexible.

Her moaning gradually got louder. Daisy's feet were almost up behind her head. Her lower half extending up, an easy target for her lover's tongue.

Jason's wet tongue ran all through the area between Daisy's legs. In and around her pussy.

Daisy's then ran her slender fingers through Jason's hair as he licked her.

And that's when Jason had the urge to try something foreign to him.

But, she'd just gotten out of the shower. And he wanted to lick her somewhere special.

Jason lifted her lower body up, supporting it with his forearms while his elbows rested on the couch cushions.

Slightly spreading her ass cheeks apart, Jason ran his tongue across the top of her asshole for a few seconds. This seemed to tickle her. And he assumed that she was enjoying it.

Daisy slowly exhaled. "I like the way that your tongue feels down there."

As he was licking her anus, Jason could tell that Daisy was rubbing her clitoris with one of her hands.

Jason had only ever put his mouth on that part of her body one other time before today. Her whole body was clean all over from showering, and Jason was too caught up in passion to consider what he was doing.

His tongue next toyed with her clitoris.

"Ohhhh… yes… yesss!" She exclaimed in pleasure.

Jason then stopped pleasuring his girlfriend for a moment to catch his breath. He pulled his arms back, letting her butt fall back down. Then he leaned back.

Daisy wouldn't let him have that long of a respite. She quickly brought her legs back down and onto the couch. She the pulled herself upright, and sat up on her knees.

Leaning in, Daisy kissed Jason again, very passionately on his lips.

Not taking her lips off of his, Daisy repositioned her body on the couch. She crawled on top of Jason's lap.

It was now that she momentarily stopped kissing Jason.

She held onto Jason's head with one hand, while her other hand descended to take hold of his manhood. Daisy guided Jason's hard cock into her pussy.

Once their bodies had joined together as one, Daisy resumed kissing the man she was madly in love with.

She rode herself up and down the length of her lover. Moaning out in intense pleasure.

Jason loved it when they kissed each other whenever they made love. So long as their lips were pressed together, Jason knew that it wasn't just meaningless sex.

It was love.

He always saw it as lovemaking and not simply as sex. And he hoped that Daisy thought of it the same way.

Minutes went by. Daisy continued her pleasure filled moaning as she rode her body up and down Jason's manhood.

Jason sensed that Daisy was getting close to an orgasm. He had to hold back his own orgasm. He didn't want to cum before Daisy did.

Jason wondered if the neighbors could here the two of them making love, especially as loud as Daisy was moaning.

_Well, I'd rather the neighborhood think that we're a couple of sex freaks, than think that I'm crazy, or that I'm a monster._

Daisy stopped kissing Jason and lifted her head back, while straitening her back. She placed both of her soft hands on Jason's shoulders.

Daisy tilted her head all the way back, her eyes looking up at the plaster ceiling. Her mouth opened wide.

And suddenly, Jason felt something happen.

With an extreme exclaiming moan, Daisy climaxed.

Jason felt her pussy tighten around his manhood. Her body shivered and shook in intense pleasure.

With his lover brought to orgasm before his eyes, Jason was ready to do the same.

Seconds after Daisy had her orgasm, Jason ejaculated inside of her as a gasp of pleasure escaped his mouth.

Daisy was breathing heavily by now. She continued riding Jason's manhood, which was gradually losing its stiffness.

Even though he was sure that she'd felt him ejaculate, Daisy was still in the midst of an orgasm. And, she was unaware of her lover's discomfort.

Jason's penis was always very sensitive after he ejaculated. But he wasn't going to let Daisy know that. He wanted her to have all the enjoyment that she deserved.

He clenched his teeth together, as Daisy continued up and down his length. His sensitive penis betrayed him, and remained erect for well over a minute.

They never wore protection when they made love and they never worried about an unplanned pregnancy. Daisy took birth control regimens very regularly. She also explained to Jason that she never wanted any children. Jason assumed that she didn't want children because she didn't think that he was mentally stable enough to raise kids.

She then stopped riding up and down Jason's cock.

Jason was thankful for that. He didn't know how much more of Daisy's passion he could withstand.

Daisy leaned into her boyfriend's face, which she was now holding securely between her hands.

"I love you Jason." She kissed him on the lips. "I love you more than anything."

Jason still had his cock inside of her, though it was soft by now. He leaned forward and started sensually kissing her neck. Tasting her sweet skin.

"I love you Daisy." He spoke softly into her ear, almost in a whisper. "I have always loved you, and I _will_ always love you. Nothing will ever change that… nothing."

He lowered his head and kissed each one of Daisy's nipples.

He continued talking, "Even when we've both grown old, I will still love you."

Daisy giggled sweetly at that.

"Even when I'm an old woman? Will you still want me then?" Her question was meant to be taken lightly as an unserious question.

But Jason responded in all seriousness. "I don't care what you look like. We all grow old, but not everyone can grow old together. Not every man will desire the woman that they used to love when they were young. But I will _always_ be in love with you, until I die."

His words must have meant a lot to Daisy. Jason watched Daisy's eyes well up, and a few tears began to roll down her face.

"I'm sorry… Daisy, did I say something wrong? I'm sorry if I upset you." Jason spoke to her in a calm tone.

She let out a short laugh and wiped her face. "No, you didn't say anything wrong. I was just so touched by what you said to me. It was just so sweet and beautiful, that I couldn't help myself form crying."

She continued. "I've never heard any other man say anything like that to his girlfriend or the woman that he loves. But most men don't care for their girlfriends the same way that you do."

"Of course I care about you Daisy." He responded.

"I know you do," she began, "but your actually willing to die to protect the woman you love."

Daisy pulled herself off of Jason, letting his manhood slide out of her.

She then walked over to the kitchen.

Jason saw that his semen had leaked out of Daisy, and had ended up on his pubic hair and around the opening on his boxers.

Daisy had reappeared with some paper towels and had cleaned off Jason's body of all his seed.

Daisy gave him a sly grin as she rubbed the paper towel along the length of his penis. Jason had shook slightly at this because his penis was still a little sensitive.

After she threw away the semen soaked paper towels, she crawled back on top of Jason.

She then sat her naked bottom on Jason's lap. Her knees curled up to her breasts and she placed her feet on top of Jason's left thigh.

Jason cradled her in his arms.

Daisy started talking. "Years ago, when we were on that pirate ship, I saw it in your eyes. You weren't going to let anyone hurt me."

She rested her head on his right shoulder, under his chin. Jason's short beard rubbed against Daisy golden hair.

"I know that they made you rape me, I know that you would never have done that to me if you didn't have to. You did it to protect me. The _real_ Jason is not a rapist." Her words cut Jason deep.

"I didn't enjoy doing that to you, I wish that it never happened. I try not to think about that day. But when I do, that memory makes me feel like a monster." Jason said, disgusted with himself all over again.

"You are not a monster Jason." Daisy said. "A monster _would_ have enjoyed it. That's why I know you human. That's how I know you're Jason and not a monster. That's how I know you are _my_ Jason. The man who loves me."

"Well... about that day. I actually... well I..." Jason decided not to finish what he was about to say.

"What?" Daisy looked him in the eyes.

Jason quickly answered her. "It's nothing, never mind."

"Okay then." Daisy said as she stretched her legs out across Jason's lap and laid her feet down on the couch cushions.

For the first time in several years, Jason felt like himself again and not a monster. Daisy's reassurance brought him bliss. Something he hadn't felt in a long, long time.

They sat there in silence for a while. Jason couldn't have said how long. They just held each other, and everything was right with the world.

The silence was broken when Daisy got off of Jason and walked over to the coffee table. She picked up the remote and turned the TV off. The entire time they were making love and holding each other, Jason hadn't noticed the television at all.

The TV went off and the screen turned black. Daisy turned to face Jason.

Daisy then asked him the most important question of the evening…

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

* * *

/

(To Be Continued)

Review if you like the story.


	4. Chapter 4: What Comes After

**A/N:** Daisy and Jason both have a POV in chapter.

Chapter 4: {_What Comes After_}

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/

(A Few Hours After "The Talk" Occurs)

After their brief distraction of lovemaking, Jason and Daisy spoke for several hours last night. And they discussed _everything_.

Daisy wasn't experiencing very much fallout, but Jason's emotions were still tormenting him.

Jason poured out all of his feelings, his thoughts, and his inner struggles. They both had stayed put in their living room throughout the duration of the conversation.

During their talk, neither one of them raised their voice in anger or disappointment. Jason talked far more than Daisy did.

Daisy preformed the role of the silent audience member quietly watching a performance; taking in everything that Jason said.

As the clock approached midnight, Jason had exhausted himself of words. And it was then, that he began sobbing.

Jason was standing on the opposite end of the living room when he began his crestfallen crying display.

So many bottled up emotions had smashed together into a spectacularly violent collision, causing Jason's sudden tearful outburst.

Daisy's heart broke whenever she witnessed Jason cry. She knew that Jason was a strong man.

He was still the same man who had fought and killed scores pirates and survived in the most inhospitable places on The Rook Islands.

She never doubted or underestimated her boyfriends physical prowess. It was his psyche that always worried her.

She would sometimes tell him; "_Even Superman can feel sadness_"

Which usually brought a smile to his face, and pulled him out of his mind's dark dungeon.

Unable to withstand seeing the man that she loved being trapped in despair, Daisy spurred into action.

With swiftness, Daisy hopped from the couch and over to embrace Jason in a hug.

Her body was still completely nude from their sexual rendezvous earlier.

Jason took some comfort from Daisy's soft naked skin wrapping around his body. She felt like a warm python slithering over his body, closely constricting him with her love.

Daisy could always make his tears subside. Whenever she embraced him or he embraced her, it was enough.

Daisy had been behind Jason, her arms hugging him from behind.

After his tears stopped, Jason slowly turned around to meet Daisy's hug. He returned her hug with his strong arms griping her slender figure.

The silence was excruciating, so Jason spoke up after mustering his courage.

"I love you so much, I'm the luckiest man on the planet. You're the perfect woman." He said to her, then kissed her ear.

For some inexplicable reason, Jason felt his mood completely change.

Somehow he had gone from maudlin to happily content in a matter of seconds.

But then… Jason heard his subconscious speaking to him. His constant enemy. It was never far behind… it was always trailing him. Always toying with his emotions.

Always there to ruin his happiness.

To drive him away from Daisy.

_Let her go Jason. You don't belong here with her. You don't even belong in Santa Monica. Go back to the islands, it's your real home._

_You must return to The Temple, to the Rakyat._

_Vaas is waiting for you. You have to go see him. He's there at the Temple. _

_What are you waiting for?_

His subconscious caused confusion in Jason. They last thing his subconscious said to him threw him through a loop.

He had killed Vaas, he had murdered him with his machete. What was his subconscious try to say?

It didn't make any sense to him.

"Vaas? Vaas? I killed him… I kil-" Jason stopped himself.

He had been talking out loud.

And Daisy…

Daisy was staring him in the eyes. She looked at Jason like he was insane.

Jason attempted to regain his composure.

"Oh, uh, Daisy… I uh… I heard someone… I mean, I heard…" Jason stammered incoherently.

Daisy cut in. "Jason… did you just say Vaas?"

Jason's heart sank to the pit of his stomach.

_She heard me. Heard my insanity talking out loud. _

_She knew that I'm insane. But now, she know how insane I really am._

There was no point for Jason to try and deny or cover up what just happened. Daisy could see Jason's facial expression, and knew something was agitating him.

"Yes, Daisy… I did. I just said _his_ name." Jason's voice was monotone and direct.

Daisy was perplexed, and asked, "Why did you mention his name?"

Jason thought of a way to explain how Vaas's name came up. He wanted the reason to sound rational to Daisy. But no matter how it played out in his head, any scenario he made up wouldn't sound sane in the slightest.

_No… I have to tell her the truth. I have to tell her about the subconscious voice in my head._

_In all these years, Jason had never told Daisy about the taunting voice in his head._

_She knows that I have dreams at night of voices. I will sometimes talk out loud in my sleep, which will wake her up._

_Is it the same as lying if I don't tell her about the voice? Is not telling her the same as lying?_

Jason debated this conundrum in his mind.

Jason decisively concluded that if he did not tell Daisy about the voice, right here and right now, he _would_ have been untruthful.

He had never lied to Daisy, and he never would so long as he lived.

_I haven't told her about the voice, not in all these years._

_It's high time that I come clean to her. If she loves me, she'll understand._

_At least… _

_I hope she will…_

"Daisy, there's… there's something I _really_ need to tell you." Jason said to his love.

Jason stared into Daisy's emerald eyes.

Jason's fatigue from work, eavesdropping, sex, and talking to Daisy all caught up to him at this moment. He was now incredibly tired and ready to sleep.

_I still need to tell Daisy._

"Daisy… let me tell you while we're in bed. I can barely keep myself falling over. I'm so, so tired… from everything that happened today." He said.

"Well, it is past midnight," Daisy started, "okay we will talk in bed. I _do_ have to get up in the morning. I have an early shift at the doctors office."

Daisy and Jason released each themselves from their hug. Daisy lead Jason to their bedroom.

Her right hand hat taken hold of his left, and they proceeded together in lockstep down the hallway.

Jason glanced at Daisy's naked ass the whole time the walked down the hallway. He loved her perfect skin and her slender body.

_I meant what I said to you. When we have grown old together, you will still be the most beautiful woman in the world. _

_When we've grown old, and we have lost our youthful features, it won't matter. You will still be the same woman I fell in love with, and will still be beautiful to me._

They made it to their bedroom. Daisy closed the door their room.

She made sure that the door was closed every night.

Although Santa Monica was warm year round, the air conditioning in her house was very strong. The cold air mainly flowed from the center of the house, and would make their bedroom very cold at night.

If the door wasn't closed at night to retain the heat in the bedroom, Daisy would shiver in bed.

She got cold very easily, as she was so slender and didn't have hardly any fat on her body.

This wasn't helped by the fact that they both slept naked together in their bed every night. It was a trade off.

Daisy loved when her and Jason's naked skin touched. I would help her sleep soundly at night.

It wasn't only for sexual reasons. Something about their bare skin coming together, made Daisy feel safe and alive.

Jason was a very heavy sleeper, unlike Daisy.

Unless she was completely worn out from work earlier in the day, she wasn't one to stay asleep the whole night.

She usually woke up at least once, every night. A loud car passing by the house, or a loud thunderstorm would cause her to awake from sleep.

After this, I would take several minutes for her to relax enough to go back to sleep.

Sometimes, while she was awake, Daisy would lightly touch Jason's manhood with her hand while he was asleep. With Jason being such a heavy sleeper, he was never aware of this.

When Daisy did this, she would stare at Jason face, his eyes closed and unaware of Daisy's sensual touching.

Occasionally Jason's body would respond to her teasing hand, and he would stiffen slightly. The would cause Daisy to smile.

Daisy never fondled his erection for very long. She was afraid of causing him to ejaculate in his sleep, which would surely cause him wake up.

Daisy and Jason weren't the stereotypical couple, if one judges them by societal norms.

Most peoples views on how relationships are structured, is that the man is the one that craves sex far more than the woman does. But this was not the case for Jason and Daisy.

In reality, Daisy was _far_ more prone to sexual impulses and urges than Jason was. As Daisy was the usual instigator of wanting to have sex. In their relationship, Jason rarely was the one to make the first move.

Daisy was very outgoing with her sexuality.

But whenever Daisy "_was in the mood_" Jason never objected to it. He only ever wanted to give Daisy satisfaction, both in terms of sex and everything else.

In Daisy's eyes, Jason was the perfect boyfriend. At least in regards of satisfying her. She still worried for his sanity.

She never let her friends know about the fact that she is a _very_ sexually active creature. She would feign modesty around her friends, not wanting them to know the _real_ Daisy.

Daisy thought it strange that she never had such strong feelings for Grant.

Yes, she loved him, but he couldn't make her feel the way that Jason can. She enjoyed when grant would hold her. But when Jason holds her, she feels such strong and positive emotions.

Jason now had removed his boxers and his white shirt and was climbing into bed. Naked and exhausted, Jason slid under the covers.

Daisy followed his lead and turned off the lights. She then crawled into bed, and rolled on her side, facing Jason.

Jason was laying on his back. Daisy stretched her right leg over Jason's lower body, and her right arm wrapped across his chest.

She was so close to him that her womanhood was in contact with his hip. And her breasts were pressed up against his shoulder.

Jason's right arm held Daisy securely. And Daisy was in a blissful state.

Feeling snug and comforted, Daisy was ready to hear what Jason had to say.

"Okay Jason, what was it that you wanted to tell me?" She asked him.

He didn't respond. Daisy asked him again.

"Hey, Jason, what were you going to tell me?" She asked again.

"Jason?" Daisy's eyes had been closed, but she opened them to see why Jason wasn't talking to her.

He was asleep. He really was _completely _exhausted.

She knew that it was folly to try and wake him when he was in deep sleep.

So she let it go. Tomorrow she would inquire about what he was going to say to her.

But not now. She knew how tired he must be, so she would let him sleep.

"Goodnight Jason. I love you." Daisy whispered gracefully in his ear.

She then laid her head down on his chest, and closed her eyes.

Daisy's hand gently squeezed his manhood, and she grinned…

* * *

/

(To Be Continued)

Please review if you want.


	5. Chapter 5: Some Dreams Feel Real

Chapter 5: {_Some Dreams Feel Real_}

* * *

/

(The Next Day)

Jason was in deep sleep.

He had intended to tell Daisy about the subconscious voice in his head. But he was far too tired to stay awake and talk to her. The second Jason laid down on the bed, the sandman had taken him instantly.

~_Jason Dreamed While He Slept_~

Daisy was laying down beside him in their bed, her head on his chest. She was stroking her hand across Jason's cheek. Her soft warm hand felt so nice to him.

A sharp contrast to his scratchy facial hair.

To his surprise, Daisy was fully clothed. She wasn't still naked.

Jason realized why she had her clothes on.

Daisy was wearing her dark blue scrubs. She wore them to her work, where she was employed as a physician's assistant.

Her job was at a local physician's office. Before she was employed, she spent time as an intern as a part of working towards her goal of becoming a nurse.

The head physician thought that she had real potential, so he actually hired her to work in the office.

Daisy had been attending university to become a nurse about two years before everything that happened on the Rook Islands.

After Jason, Daisy, Liza and everyone else returned back to Santa Monica, Daisy did not immediately return to her nursing studies.

She took several semesters off of college after she came back home. Eventually she was ready and willing to continue attending her college, and finally earn the academic credentials to become a _real_ nurse.

Jason knew that this semester would be her last one, as when she passed her classes she would become a licensed nurse.

Jason never asked Daisy why it was that she did not resume her studies shortly after they returned to America.

And he didn't want to make her uncomfortable by asking her, so he never tried to pry into that subject.

But he had several explanations that he rationalized in his head.

He thought that the most likely and logical reason was that Daisy had been psychologically damaged from everything that happened to her. And she needed to take some time to process her experiences.

Jason could understand that. He had been there, right next to her, when many of those events took place.

He definitely had been there for one of those experiences.

He _had_ been the cause of that experience.

This was something that he hated reminding himself of. But it was the truth.

And truth…

Truth cannot ever be changed…

It can only be given a short shrift and then disregarded.

It was something that he would never and couldn't ever forget. No matter how much he wanted to throw that experience down into a bottomless pit of oblivion.

His willpower and eagerness would not be enough to scrape away that memory.

No… that was something that couldn't be unseen. That memory could only be locked away in the same mental dungeon.

A dungeon that the memory could _always_ manage to escape from.

Somehow, it could always find a way out of its cell.

Daisy made a vocal sound, somewhere between a hum and a purr.

"Jason, I am going to be heading out in a minute or two." Daisy's voice was in a soft tone.

Daisy continued. "I don't want you to stay asleep in the bed for the entire day."

She kissed him on the cheek.

"So I set up the alarm clock so that it will go off at twelve." She said to him, so softly.

She placed her mouth up close to Jason's right ear.

Jason felt something wet and soft brush across his ear, feeling like a wet paintbrush lightly coloring his skin into a different shade.

Daisy kissed his earlobe.

Jason could even swear that for a few short moments, Daisy had been licking his ear with her soft and juicy tongue.

It felt so _very_ real. Her moist and eager tongue slid across his ear with such strong sensuality, that Jason thought that she might even start having sex with him right then and there.

Daisy's removed her mouth from Jason's ear, and laid her head back down on his chest.

She started talking again. "I know that you are off work today, but I still don't want you to nothing the whole day. It's not healthy for you to sleep for an entire day."

Her right hand rubbed his chest. Her fingers are so skinny and soft that they complement her slender body perfectly.

"I want you to know that I haven't forgotten about what happened last night." Her tone switched up slightly.

"About what you said, and that you mentioned _his_ name. You mentioned the name 'Vaas' and I want to understand why." She said.

The bed jerked slightly, as Daisy sat up and extended her legs off the edge of the bed. She was getting ready to get off the bed, and leave for work.

"I have to work until eight tonight." Daisy turned her torso to hold Jason's right hand with both of her hands.

"There is some extra paperwork that needs to be done at the office. I told the girls at reception that I would help them with the paperwork, even though that's not something that I usually do there." Daisy sighed.

"But they needed help, so I volunteered to help them in whatever way I could." She said.

Daisy got up off their bed and straightened up her hair in the mirror before she left.

Her hair must have become slightly disheveled after her head had been laying on Jason's chest.

Also, the fact that she had been franticly kissing and licking Jason's ear, couldn't have improved the condition of her hair either.

After her had been fixed she turned to look at Jason.

"We _are_ going to talk when I get back. Okay?" She asked him.

But Jason was dreaming, so he couldn't respond to her.

_I know you aren't really here, but I promise we will talk Daisy._

_I promise you. _

_I just wish that I was awake before you left. Then I could have promised you._

"I love you Jason, so much." Daisy said to the dreaming man that she loved more than anything.

And then Daisy said something that Jason had not been expecting to hear.

Something that shook his reality to its core, and would force him to rethink everything that he knew, or thought he knew.

Daisy lightly stepped across the room. She was standing right next to Jason, and tenderly held his right hand with her left hand.

She gently interlocked her fingers with his.

"I… I loved you… well… I've loved you since the first time I ever met you." Daisy revealed to him in a slight stammer.

"Even when I was dating your brother Grant, I couldn't stop myself from wanting to be with you. Every time I saw you, I would feel butterflies stirring in my stomach. I felt like a young schoolgirl who was nervous around the boy she has a crush on." Daisy said as she lifted up Jason's hand and gave it a sweet kiss.

"Part of me would feel ashamed of myself for loving the brother of my boyfriend. But, I knew that it wasn't right for me to be in love with you so much, but I… I… there was no point in trying to convince myself that it was only lust." Daisy's cheeks blushed, and a tear ran down her face.

"No, it _was_ love, I knew it was. The only thing was… at the time you were dating Liza." Daisy said, and then sniffled.

Jason saw that the "Dream Daisy" was crying very lightly. She wasn't sobbing, just crying a little.

"And I didn't know at the time that you were in love with me as well. We were both two people who loved each other, but weren't able to date each other." She said.

She seemed to be crying less and less as the time went by.

Daisy then gave a monologue without pausing for quite some time;

"I did love your brother, I don't want you to think that I didn't. He loved me too, that was plain to see. But I couldn't love him as much I loved you. I tried, I tried so very hard to not think about you. I wanted to be the proper girlfriend, and be in love with my real boyfriend. Grant was such a good man, he always treated me very well. I wasn't unhappy when I was with him. There was something about you that I fell in love with, it's like we had some kind of mental connection. Whenever I used to have those parties, years back, my favorite part of the evening would be when you came over to talk to me. I would intentionally stand alone by myself over by my garden and away from the main party. Every time you would walk up next to me and we'd start talking, I would get goosebumps all over my skin and my heart would swell up with joy. I knew that you were the man that I wanted, but I couldn't hurt Grant like that. No, there wasn't anyway we could have been together while your brother was alive. If he saw us together he would have been torn in agony. He would have felt betrayed by two people that he loved. I miss Grant everyday. I wish here was still alive, I wish that he was still here. I hate myself for thinking like this, but… if Grant _was_ still here, you and me _couldn't_ be together. I really wish that Grant hadn't died. He didn't deserve to be killed by that fucking piece of shit Vaas. Grant was a hero, he saved your life, and he would have done all he could have to try and save the rest of us. But… that's not what happened. If I had the power to fix only one thing in this world, it would be to bring Grant back. Give him the rest of the life that he deserved. But in the end… we ended up together. And I enjoy everyday of my life with you. I wish that we could have ended up together and Grant would also still be alive. I'm sorry for talking like this Jason, but I have been wanting to tell you this for years now."

Daisy turned her head and looked at the alarm clock.

"Oh… uh sorry. I didn't notice how much time had gone by, but I have to leave now or I will be late for work." She said, franticly grabbing her purse.

She slung her purse over her shoulder.

"When I come back home, we will talk. I love you so much." Daisy said, in a hurry to get to work.

Daisy proceeded to bend forward and gave Jason a goodbye kiss on the lips.

She then slipped her tongue inside of his mouth. With a lively passion, Daisy rolled her tongue around inside Jason's mouth until there wasn't one spot that was left untouched in his mouth.

To Jason, her mouth felt so real. He could even taste her minty flavored tongue. She must have just finished brushing her teeth.

This was the most realistic dream that Jason had ever felt.

Jason heard her feet quickly patter across the floor.

Daisy reached the bedroom door.

She was halfway out the door when she turned her head back in Jason's direction.

"See you later Jason. I love you, goodbye." Daisy hastily blew him a kiss.

And in an instant, she was gone.

~_End Of Dream_~

/

The alarm clock began to buzz in the most unpleasant sound.

Jason crawled across to the opposite side of the bed and turn the clock off.

As he was turning off the clock's alarm, he checked what the time was.

It was exactly twelve, noontime.

_Why did the clock go off at twelve?_

Jason had only been dreaming about Daisy telling him that she set the alarm.

In a state of confusion, Jason sat himself upright in the bed. He leaned his back up against the bedframe.

He wiped his hand over his face to rub the sleep from his eyes.

As his right hand brush his ear, he noticed that his hand had gotten a little wet.

His hand reached up to his ear where he felt around his ear, investigating for an explanation.

He pulled his hand back down from his ear. His hand _was_ slightly wet.

A spark went off inside of his head.

_It wasn't a dream at all. All of that stuff actually did happen. _

And then, he remembered what Daisy had said to him.

_Daisy said that she had always loved me. Ever since she first met me. _

_This whole time… she has been in love with me the whole time. _

_And Grant, Daisy said that she couldn't love Grant the same way that she loved me._

_Oh Daisy… I wish that things had been different._

_I wish that I had met you before Grant did, and before I met Liza. _

_I wish it would have been different._

_If I knew you before Grant fell in love with you, it would have saved him the heartache of seeing us together._

_If he never had met you, you wouldn't have been his girlfriend first._

_You would have been mine… mine._

Jason wondered how he was able to remember everything Daisy said and did while he was asleep.

_I was dreaming. I'm sure of it. It felt like a dream._

_But no, it was real. It had to have been real, right?_

Jason was having difficulty determining what was real.

_Maybe Daisy did kiss my ear while I was asleep. Of course she was here. That is obvious, my ear was wet after all._

_Although, even though she was real, does that mean that everything that I heard her say was real too?_

_Or was that only a dream?_

_Was half of what I experienced real, and the other half was a dream?_

This was the most confused that Jason had ever been in his entire life.

He told himself that the only way to sort this all out, will be to ask Daisy when she comes back home.

Jason would have to wait at home. So he would wait in a tense state of anticipation.

There was one more thing that Jason would have to do when Daisy got home.

Tell her about the voice in his head.

He hadn't been able to talk about last night. He passed out as soon as he hit the bed.

But tonight, he would be wide awake.

_If she doesn't think that I'm insane yet, she will soon._

_No, no,_

_No, Daisy will understand me. _

_She always does._

_She does, doesn't she?_

/

* * *

(To Be Continued)

Review if you like.


	6. Chapter 6: Past And Present

**A/N:** Chapters 2 through 5 all take place in the timespan of 24 hours.

Chapter 6: {_Past And Present_}

* * *

/

(Noon and Afternoon)

Jason had to find ways to occupy himself while he waited for Daisy's return.

The first thing that Jason did, was to organize his thoughts. He sat down on the couch and turned on the television.

He didn't pay any attention to what was being shown on the television.

The sole reason that he had turned it on was to provide him with ambient background noise. The sound helped him to relax, and to think.

With the television running in the background, Jason gathered his thoughts and planned out what he would say to Daisy.

Usually, Jason spend quite a lot of time planning things out and examining every variable. This was a skill that Jason had developed on the islands.

Whenever he went on a mission, he had to consider all of his surroundings before acting. Doing this would increase the likelihood of him surviving.

On several occasions, Jason lost his cool and had nearly been killed because of it.

When Jason had saved Daisy from those pirates, his emotions had overwhelmed his tactical sense. He had gotten reckless and had almost lost his life because of it.

But Daisy had saved his life.

Jason often wondered if he would have survived if Daisy hadn't killed Jay.

That day was the most traumatic day of Jason's life. Which was ironic, considering how many days Jason spent murdering pirates and Hoyt's mercenaries.

Daisy had been forced to kill, to save him.

Witnessing Daisy's hands covered in the blood of that pirate , was something that Jason wished he'd never seen.

Before that day, he had always seen Daisy as sweet and innocent girl. He surely had never imagined that Daisy was capable of killing.

But she had killed. There was no denying that.

Even though she had only killed once, she still had become a killer.

Daisy never exhibited any changes to her personality after she had killed.

At least, none that Jason could notice.

Jason thought for a long time. Trying to make since of everything that had happened to him. And to Daisy.

_Maybe she is stronger than me. _

_Of course she is… I went crazy after killing my first man._

_Daisy Didn't. _

_No… she is still that sweet girl that I fell in love with all those years ago. She has a good heart. And a stable mind. _

_I'm glad for that. I can't let her ever become like me. _

_No she has to be my sanity. _

_I can still remember when Daisy told me that I was a good man, and not a monster. I hope she was right._

_Maybe it was the islands that made me into a monster. I did enjoy killing all those men. They deserved it after all, didn't they?_

_But, what's makes my killing justified, and theirs unjust?_

_Was every single pirate and mercenary an evil man?_

_Does it all really matter? Is there really a difference?_

_Is this how Grant felt after he had killed while he was in the army? Was his killing justified because his country had condoned it?_

_Is that any different than how the terrorists or insurgents felt? Weren't they fighting and killing for what they thought was a just cause?_

_What makes killing an unknown enemy soldier different than killing a random person in the street? Because your nation says that it us different?_

_Maybe not every pirate or every mercenary was truly an evil man. I mean, were the Rakyat really that good of people themselves?_

_Their leader Citra certainly wasn't. _

_She wanted me to murder my friends. And they had not done anything villainous or dastardly to her or the Rakyat. _

_No, they were innocent of any wrong doings. They did not deserve to be killed._

_So then, what was Citra's whole crusade about?_

_If she was trying to rid the islands of pirates and Hoyt's men, then what would me killing my friends achieve?_

_Was she fighting for her peoples freedom? Or was she just using me as a weapon for her to take control of the islands?_

_Of course she was just using me._

_All I was to her was a weapon to be wielded against her enemies._

_I was just the rifle she aimed at her problems. Pull my trigger, and problems disappear._

_No, Citra didn't care about her people. She wanted to rule them._

_She made them all believe in some bullshit prophecy. Of course, there is no such thing as prophecy._

_Leaders will trick their followers into believing that there is a chosen one out there who will save them all. But he doesn't exist._

_Citra was a charlatan, and I was her pet monkey._

/

After a long while of reminiscing and philosophizing, Jason turned the television off.

He needed some other way of killing the time.

Jason thought of different ways to occupy his time.

He decided to go out and look at Daisy's garden.

Maybe doing this would help Jason remember some pleasant memories of him and Daisy.

Getting up off of the couch, Jason walked towards the sliding glass door to the outside patio.

The glass door slid open. Jason inhaled the fresh air and the smell of fresh flowers.

Walking outside, Jason surveyed the garden. It was filled with a myriad of differently colored flowers. Each one placed strategically around the garden, so that the different colors contrasted one another.

A gust of wind blew by, accentuating the smell of the flowers.

Jason walked onto the patio. He closed the sliding glass door behind him.

Jason the sat down on the concrete steps that led to the backdoor.

He channeled his memories, trying to find the memories of him and Daisy. But he couldn't.

Jason remembered a time shortly after he and his friends returned to Santa Monica.

Once returning home to Santa Monica, Jason had dropped out of college. He couldn't focus on his schoolwork anymore. Too many bad memories filled his head, leaving no room for academics.

After he dropped out of school, Jason had worked several odd jobs. Pretty much working wherever job he could find.

Ever since he had returned home to Santa Monica, Jason had become progressively more and more antisocial. He had stopped talking to all of his friends, and even stopped speaking with his mother.

His mother was still in deep agony and grief over losing her oldest son Grant. Jason felt like a shitty son for not consoling his mother and being there for her. But Jason was still in too much pain for everything that had happened to him.

Riley, the youngest of his brothers, was there for his mother. The only person that Jason was able to socialize with other than Daisy, was his younger brother. Even after what Jason had done to Riley in that torture room, his brother had forgiven him.

Jason then remembered a time when he had almost lashed out in violence. The only time since he had left the islands that he had almost become a killer again. Luckily, Jason had controlled himself, and no one had gotten hurt.

/

* * *

(_Flashback_)

It was about one month after Jason had moved in with Daisy.

At that time, people were spreading gossip about his relationship with Daisy.

It wasn't the people who had been on the islands with Jason, but it was the friends of his friends that were running their mouths.

People had said things. Some people theorized that maybe Jason and had been cheating on Liza the whole time.

They said the same about Daisy. That she was sleeping with Jason behind Grant's back.

Rumors spread like an out of control wildfire, and he could do nothing to stop the flames from engulfing everything around him.

But Jason tried not to bother with what people said. He knew the truth of, and so did Daisy, his new girlfriend.

One day, Jason had dropped Daisy off at one of her friend's birthday parties. Daisy's car had broken down and was being repaired in a local body shop, so Jason had to drive Daisy around until her car was fixed.

It was one of Daisy's friends from college. This girl and Daisy had both been on their college's swimming team. Jason had never met this girl, he couldn't even remember what her name was.

Since Jason wasn't the kind of person who enjoyed parties, he had told Daisy that he would not be going. Daisy didn't try and pressure him into going with her.

The other reason Jason decided not to tag along with Daisy to the party, was because he didn't want to overhear anybody gossip about the two of them.

He couldn't handle the silent stares and hushed mutterings under peoples breath.

Late at night, a little bit before 11:30, Jason had received a text message from Daisy saying that she was ready for him to come and pick her up.

Jason, who had been staying at home, got in his car and headed out to Daisy's friends house.

After parking his car a few houses down from the party, he got out of his car and walked down the road towards the party. He had a lightweight jacket on, as it was an unusually chilly night in Santa Monica.

The party hadn't been too loud. It wasn't as noisy and reckless as a college frat party where everyone is hammered and out of control.

As Jason approached the house, he could hear faint music playing.

There were two guys and a girl standing outside on the front porch. The two guys each had a cheap red plastic cup in their hands. Probably filled with beer. They hadn't paid any attention to Jason as he walked up the steps.

"_Maybe they don't involve themselves in gossip._" Jason had thought.

The moment had arrived, and Jason gripped the brass doorknob in his hand. He took a deep breath before he opened the door. He was nervous to be around so many people that he didn't know.

Jason opened the door to the party. Stepping inside the house, Jason heard some soft punk rock music playing. He then closed the door.

Jason saw a lot of people inside the house. None of them were familiar to him. But a few of them gave passing glances at him. He assumed they had known who he was. Also, they had most likely known Grant while he was still alive.

He looked left and then right, trying to spot Daisy. He didn't see her anywhere.

Then he heard her voice. He had heard her through the crowd of people, but couldn't see her yet.

"Jason." Daisy said.

She had been somewhere to his left but he hadn't seen here at first. She walked past some people to get to Jason.

Daisy was smiling as she walked up to meet him. Giddy, Jason couldn't help himself, and he involuntarily returned her smile with his own.

Daisy moved to within arm's length with Jason. She stood there square with Jason. Then she put her right hand of Jason's shoulder.

"Thanks for picking me up." She said. Daisy rubbed her thumb over Jason's shoulder in a comforting way.

Jason could feel the eyes of the party goers staring at him and Daisy. Jason quickly scanned the room to see the condescending stares. When he met the eyes of the people at the party, they quickly averted their gaze.

Then, Daisy grabbed Jason's attention. "Hey, Jason, are you alright?" She asked him.

Jason pulled his eyes back, and looked Daisy in her emerald eyes.

"Oh, uh, yeah I'm fine." Jason responded to her awkwardly.

"Oh, okay then," Daisy started, "well, I have to go and get my coat and then we can leave. Okay?"

Desperate to leave with Daisy as soon as possible, Jason shook his head affirmation.

"Okay Daisy, I'll be waiting here for you." He said.

Daisy's emerald eyes gleamed at him, shinning through the dim light of the house. They were like green jewels.

"Alright then, I will be right back." Daisy said.

And then to Jason's complete surprise, Daisy leaned in and kissed him on the lips.

It was right in front of everyone.

Her kiss sure wasn't subtle.

Jason had been trying to not flaunt his and Daisy's relationship out in public. He didn't want to add to the gossip that was already circulating throughout all the college students.

Daisy was never one to play the shy and meek girl. No, she wasn't afraid of being herself. Jason felt like he should learn this characteristic from Daisy.

"_Damn them all, Daisy is my girlfriend, and there is no use in trying to hide that from everyone. I'm in love with Daisy. And she loves me too. Let the whole world know that we love each other. If they don't understand us… then fuck them._"

Jason kept that internal monologue to himself.

The kiss had been a quick one. Daisy headed back into the dense mass of humanity that made up the party, to retrieve her coat.

After she had walked off, Jason stuck his hands in pockets of his jacket.

It was only several short seconds after Daisy had gone, that some guy had walked up beside Jason. Jason did not recognize the man at all. He assumed that he was some mutual friend or acquaintance of Daisy or the birthday girl.

The man was taller than Jason. Probably around six foot two or three. Jason himself being five foot eleven, so the man was not towering over Jason like a giant. The guy had a stocky athletic build to him. He was most likely a football player at the university. He had short black hair, and an obnoxious grin on his face.

"So… you're Daisy's boyfriend, right?" The guy asked Jason, his hand holding a red cup filled with liquor.

Jason could tell that this guy was mildly intoxicated. He took a lot of drinks out of his cup, adding to his drunkenness.

Jason didn't want to talk to this guy, but he answered him. He hoped that he could bore the man enough to make him walk off.

"I guess you can call me that. We haven't ever labeled each other as boyfriend or girlfriend. I call her Daisy, and she calls me Jason. That's all." Jason responded, not even looking at the man while he talked.

Jason hoped that the man would walk off, but he continued talking with slurred and drunken words.

"Ha Ha, yeah… ha!" The drunk man chuckled at Jason's response.

For some reason the man had found what Jason said to be funny. Even though Jason had spoke in a serious tone.

Jason turned his head so that he faced the opposite direction from where the drunk guy was. Jason was attempting to ignore the guy, so that he would take the hint and just walk away from him.

The drunk guy was too inebriated to comprehend the subtle gesture that Jason was giving him.

Jason felt the drunkard nudge his shoulder to get his attention.

"So… hey, uh buddy… tell me, how long you been sticking it to blondie, huh?" Asked the drunkard.

Jason turned his head forward. Not looking at the man but looking straight forward. What the man had said had gotten Jason's attention.

Jason responded, trying to maintain himself. "What do you mean? What are you implying?"

The drunkard took a last drink from his cup. He crushed the empty cup in his hand and tossed it into a trashcan. Something that he probably thought made him look cool.

"I _mean_," the drunkard started, "You must have been fucking that Daisy's sweet ass for quite some time now, right? Oh yeah, I bet you were tapping that ass the whole time."

Jason felt his fingers curl up into his palms and become fists. He kept them clinched at his side. He didn't want to escalate things into a violent confrontation.

"Whatever man, just leave me alone alright?" Jason knew what this drunkard was trying to say.

He was implying that Jason had been having sex with Daisy behind his brother Grant's back. Jason didn't want to hear this guy try and say that Daisy was a whore and Jason was a shit brother.

No, Jason knew the truth. He had _never_ had sex with Daisy while Grant was still alive. Yes he was madly in love with Daisy, but he would have never betrayed Grant like that.

"Come on man, you can tell me, huh?" The drunkard laughed, his breath reeked of booze.

The drunkard continued speaking.

"You were fucking her back when she was dating that other guy, weren't you? Oh yeah, lucky guy. Man I don't blame you, your brother's girlfriend must be a horny freak, heh heh (_Drunkard_ _Chuckles_). Yeah she must be right? I mean, your brother couldn't give it to her good enough so she had to go to you to get some more side action. Yeah I bet you-"

The drunkard was unable to finish what he was saying.

In a fury, Jason gripped his hands around the drunkard's throat. Jason's anger took control of his body. With his adrenaline spiking, Jason had the raw strength to completely lift the drunkard up and off of his feet.

Jason slammed the drunkard's body into the wall behind him. Jason still holding the man up off the floor.

Jason stared into the man's eyes with evil intent.

The drunkard's eyes were filled with complete terror. Despite being a more physically imposing man than Jason was, the drunkard looked like a scared child in Jason's iron grip.

And then, Jason was shocked at what he saw in front of him.

The drunkard's face had changed in an instant. Grant's face was now where the drunkard's mortified face had been.

And a second after he saw his deceased brother's face, Jason then saw Dennis's face with his dark complexion. Another second later, the face changed to Citra's face. And after that, Jason saw Hoyt's face.

Then he saw Vaas's face. Vaas's face was different because it had been smiling in an insane way, like how the Joker smiles.

But the last face that Jason had seen, had been the most unsettling of them all.

The last face that Jason saw… was his own.

His face had been smiling at him, grinning just like Vaas.

It was in this moment that Jason released his grip and let the man fall to the floor.

The drunkard landed on the floor and began coughing. He put his hands to his throat trying to get his wind back.

Jason's disposition changed from anger to disbelief in what he had done.

"Jason!" Daisy shouted at him.

Jason saw Daisy standing with her jacket on over her slender body. She was staring wide eyed at Jason in shock and horror.

"Daisy…" Jason tried to speak but was at a loss of words.

"What the fuck man?!" Jason heard a man shout out.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" A tall redheaded girl had asked rhetorically.

Jason turned his head franticly from side to side. He looked at all of the party goers facial expressions. They ranged from shock, to horror, and fear.

Daisy ran towards Jason and grabbed his left hand with her right. She started walking towards the front door, the whole time pulling Jason along.

"I'm so, so, sorry." Daisy said to everyone at the party.

When Jason and Daisy both reached the door, Daisy first gently pushed on Jason's back, urging him to leave the house first. Jason took the hint and stepped outside.

Daisy continued to apologize for Jason's actions as she was closing the door behind her.

With the door closed, Daisy looped her right arm under Jason's left arm. With their arms interlocked, they walked to Jason's car in a rapid pace.

At this point Jason felt like he should say something to Daisy.

_Should I apologize? Should I tell her about the faces that I saw?_

"Daisy I… I…" Jason's tongue stumbled his words.

Before he could organize his words into something audible, Daisy interrupted him.

"Jason, we will talk when we get home." Daisy's voice wasn't filled with anger or disappointment. It was a neutral tone.

This surprised Jason. He assumed that Daisy would either be furious or upset with him. But Daisy understood Jason. She knew everything that he had seen, everything he has done.

Daisy and Jason have a special connection with each other. They had both been through horrible and traumatizing experiences.

And they could share their pain with one another.

(End Of Flashback)

* * *

/

Several hours later, Jason was still sitting on the steps and staring at the garden.

Somehow, Jason lost track of the time. The sky was turning dark.

Then Jason stood up and opened the sliding glass door. He walked into the house, closing the door behind him.

He didn't have his phone with him or have a watch on. He had no way of checking the time.

Jason walked into the living room. In the living room there is a old and shiny bronze clock hanging over the television.

The clock had once belonged to Daisy's mother. Daisy's mom had bought the clock at an antique store, and had given it to Daisy for her birthday.

Jason liked Daisy's parents. He had met them many times over the year. They always were very courteous with Jason. It never seemed like they disapproved of Jason and Daisy's relationship, even though they both knew that Jason was Grant's brother.

The clock showed that it was a little after 8:20 at night. Daisy would be home any minute.

Just a few seconds after Jason had checked the clock he heard the door open. Daisy was opening the door. She was wearing her dark blue scrubs from work.

Daisy closed the door, and Jason began to speak to her.

"Hey Daisy, how was work?" Jason asked her, engaging in small talk.

"It was fine." She said.

Daisy gave Jason a quick smile. She then walked past Jason and over to the kitchen counter to lay down her car keys, wallet, and cell phone. And then her purse.

As soon as she emptied her pockets, Jason was already right there close to her. He had walked up behind her.

Jason then spun Daisy around to face him as he kissed her full on the lips. Daisy moaned softly as she put her hands on Jason's face and continued kissing him.

Their tongues entered each others mouths in a passionate caressing.

Jason was surprised with himself. He usually is not this spontaneously passionate. Daisy was the one in their relationship that was known for random acts of passion.

But in that moment, nothing else in the world mattered. So long as he had Daisy.

After several moments of kissing, Daisy pulled herself away from Jason's lips.

"Oh Jason, what's gotten into you?" She asked lustily.

"As soon as you walked in, I remembered how lucky of a man I was that you are in my life, and that I will never take you for granted. I love you so much Daisy." Jason said with a voice filled with love.

Before Daisy had a chance to respond to Jason, he continued speaking.

Jason continued. "I'm ready Daisy. I am ready to tell you _everything_. Everything that I was going to tell you last night before I fell asleep. And I'm ready to talk about what has been bothering me ever since we left the islands."

And finally Jason said, "I'm going to tell you about _The _Voice."

* * *

/

(To Be Continued)

Review me how ever you want


	7. Chapter 7: Off To The Beach, Eventually

**A/N:** Awkward sex scene/dark humor.

Chapter 7: {_Off To The Beach, Eventually_}

* * *

/

(A Week Later)

It was noon on Sunday, and the sun was directly overhead. Daisy and Jason were laying on beach towels.

Daisy liked swimming in the warm salty ocean water. She would often swim several hundred meters away from the shoreline, almost out of view.

Jason worried about Daisy swimming so far out into the ocean. He himself had several bad run ins with sharks on the Rook Islands. But, there hasn't ever been a shark attack in Santa Monica that he knew of. Jason would remind himself of this fact to put his mind at ease.

Plus, Daisy was an expert swimmer, and a strong one at that. Her body may be slender, but she could swim better than anybody that Jason had ever seen. Including professional athletes.

For a small woman, Daisy was very fearless and persistent. When she wanted to do something, she would not let anything stop her.

The white sand on the Santa Monica beach was illuminated from the sunlight. Sunglasses were necessary, as the sun light's reflection on the sand was blinding without a pair of sunglasses.

Daisy wanted to spend her entire day with Jason.

On the weekends, the doctor's office that Daisy worked at was closed. Although Jason's work schedule was different and random every week. He never knew what days he would work until the hardware store that he worked at would post the schedule up on Friday morning.

Due to sheer luck, Jason wasn't scheduled to work today.

So when Daisy mentioned to Jason on Saturday night that she wanted to go to the beach, Jason agreed to go with her.

Jason always wanted Daisy to be happy. He didn't want her to ever be disappointed with him.

He wanted to be the perfect boyfriend.

Jason may have gone loony and insane, but if he could satisfy Daisy, then he figured that must count for something.

* * *

/

(Earlier That Day)

In the morning, Jason was awoken by Daisy kissing him. It was around nine in the morning.

Daisy had rolled over in their bed so that she would be hovering over Jason's sleeping body. She place her hands next to Jason's head. And her knees were stretched over Jason's waist to the sides of his body. Daisy was trying not to touch him, this way he wouldn't wake up until Daisy kissed him.

Daisy placed her soft lips on Jason's mouth, causing him to awake from his slumber.

Daisy pulled her head back up from Jason's lips. It was at this point that Jason opened his eyes to see the face of the woman he loved.

Her blonde hair was hanging down the sides of her face. Her hair blocked the sunlight coming through the window shades, from completely lighting up her face.

But her emerald eyes still managed to glow in the dim light.

Jason saw that she was smiling. When he saw Daisy's beautiful face smiling down at him, Jason felt himself smile right back.

Daisy giggled, and then lifted herself off of Jason and rolled over to Jason's right side.

She was now on her side. Her head raised up and she laid her head on her left hand, her elbow being used as support. She was facing Jason.

"Are you awake yet Jason?" Daisy asked Jason as she stroked his chest.

Jason turned his head to look at Daisy. Her naked skin looking so pristine in the dimly lit room.

Jason stared at her bare breasts.

_I feel strange. I feel different._

Daisy did not have very large breasts. But the size of her breasts were a perfect fit for her body type.

She was average height for a woman, about five foot six. Her body has always been slim and slender but toned and slightly muscular. This due to her enthusiasm for swimming. It keeps her in shape.

Jason couldn't restrain his instincts. He rolled over slightly and lightly cupped Daisy's right breast in his left hand.

He gently and teasingly massaged her breast. The flat of his thumb rubbed her nipple.

The nipple reacted by stiffening. Jason was still smiling.

"Hey Jason, my eyes are up her." Daisy said in a half serious, half playful voice.

"Oh yes, I'm awake." Jason leaned in close to Daisy. His lips met hers. Jason and Daisy's tongues entered the each others mouths.

For how long remained there in bed kissing, Jason couldn't say.

Thirty seconds? A minute? More?

All that mattered to him was the taste of Daisy's sweet lips. A day could have passed without him knowing. Time stopped still when her kissed Daisy.

Jason felt strange and unlike himself. He was _unusually_ horny, which he hardly ever was.

Jason and Daisy had sex quite regularly. Although, Daisy was the one who was much more sexually demanding in comparison to Jason. As it was Daisy who usually initiated the first move that led to sex.

Jason never denied Daisy when she was horny. He only ever wanted her to be satisfied. It didn't matter to Jason if he was tired or was having a bad day, if Daisy wanted to fuck him, Jason would allow it.

Like a loyal and dutiful knight, never refusing the wishes of his queen. The fairest and most beautiful queen of them all.

He knew that Daisy wanted to leave as soon as they woke up. If they went to the beach too late in the day, then it would be packed full with people.

But Jason's animalistic and primal side were piloting his body. And he wasn't in control of his actions.

_Come on Daisy. You want to have some fun?_

Daisy broke the kiss off.

She pulled her head back, leaving Jason staring at her dumbfounded.

"Come on, get up now. We have to shower and put our clothes on. I want to wear my new bikini today, and she how I like it." Daisy said.

Jason was planning on getting ready, but he _really_ wanted to have sex with Daisy before they left.

He looked Daisy's naked figure up and down before he replied.

"Okay Daisy." He started, "But can we have a little fun first?"

_What is up with me? I'm never this horny. Why am I so horny all of a sudden?_

_And why doesn't Daisy seem interested in having sex right now? Nothing has ever stopped her before so why now, of all times, is she so uninterested?_

"Not now Jason." Daisy responded sternly.

She looked Jason in the eyes. "Tonight we can, but right now I _really_ want to go to the beach."

Very brashly, Daisy threw the bedsheet off of herself and Jason. Signaling that it was time to get up.

Daisy quickly jumped out of bed and walked over to their dresser to find her new bikini.

The sun was shining brighter now, penetrating through the slits in the window shades.

Jason stared at Daisy's nude body while she rummaged through the dresser.

Daisy had found her bikini. The two piece bathing suit's color was a stunning bright crimson.

There dresser had a mirror attached to it which was conveniently set above the dresser. Daisy held her bikini over her body, examining it in the mirror.

The whole time that she stood there, Jason watched her, with a goofy smile on his face.

Over two minutes went by as Daisy stood in front of the mirror. Finally satisfied with choosing her crimson bikini, Daisy turned around to face Jason to ask his opinion.

"What do you think of the color? Does it look good to you?" Daisy asked Jason.

"If you're wearing it, then it looks fantastic." Jason responded in a gleeful tone.

"Oh Daisy. You will always be the most beautiful woman in the world." He added.

Daisy made a strange face. "I told you Jason… tonight we can have some fun, but not right now."

"I know Daisy, I heard you. Don't worry, I will get ready to go." He said.

Daisy was still staring at him with that same face.

"Jason… I was serious. We _aren't_ going to have sex right now." Daisy said.

And then her eyes drifted away from Jason's face and stared somewhere else.

"I know, I just said that. Didn't you hear me?" He asked.

Jason noticed Daisy staring off at something. But what?

"Daisy what's wrong?" Jason questioned.

"You tell me Jason?" She said with a devious grin.

"What are you-" Jason never finished what he was saying.

He realized what Daisy was staring at.

Jason looked down towards his feet. And was surprised at himself.

His penis sticking up straight and was erect. Showing no sign of going flaccid anytime soon.

This was somewhat embarrassing for him.

Jason hadn't noticed what his body was doing. This was the doing of his subconscious. His subconscious was taunting him.

Daisy and Jason have seen each other naked almost every single day that they have been romantically involved. Jason wasn't the kind of man to be sexually turned on so easily.

Obviously Jason thought Daisy was gorgeous. Even more so when she was naked. Whenever the two of them laid naked together in bed, it wasn't enough to give Jason an erection.

Often Daisy would roll over and lay on top of him, pressing her bare breasts up against his chest. Additionally, she would sometimes even lift her leg over his lower body, and her short pubic hair and pussy would come into contact with his hip. Even this was not enough to arouse Jason's manhood.

He only ever got an erection when he was about to have sex with Daisy. Jason lacked libido, unlike Daisy.

Jason felt embarrassed, which was strange because it is not like Daisy hasn't ever seen him like this before. The were lovers and have seen each other in the most intimate ways imaginable.

_What the hell is wrong with me? I want to fuck her right here and now so badly. Never have I been this horny. I feel like some kind of animal._

_Something is making my body do this. But what?_

_But Daisy is also unlike herself. Seeing me like this would most likely cause her to become horny, and then she would try and have sex with me._

_But not today, not right now. For some reason, our roles have been reversed._

"Oh… uh… s-sorry, I uh… don't know what's wrong with me. This isn't like me." Jason said in a sheepish voice.

Daisy laughed at the look on Jason's face. Jason couldn't see his own face, but he assumed that he looked like a dumbstruck buffoon.

"It's fine Jason," Daisy gave a quick laugh, "But really get up and get ready, I want to leave soon."

"Alright, I'm getting up now." Jason said. He then crawled to the foot of the bed, where he sat.

Daisy was walking towards the bathroom to get ready to shower. She stopped halfway there when Jason started talking to her.

"Hey Daisy, neither one of us smell bad, and we are going to be getting in the ocean, so do we really need to shower right before we go to the beach?" Jason asked.

He continued. "I mean, we _are_ going to just get sweaty and wet with sea water anyway. And we will both have to shower again as soon as we return home. So why don't we just leave now?"

Daisy turned to look Jason in the eyes. "Jason, seriously. Just look at my hair. It is a mess. If I don't shampoo and condition my hair now it will look even worse when I shower again later today. And I want it looking nice for work tomorrow."

Jason knew this to be true. Daisy _did_ have very delicate hair. Her golden hair was naturally straight, but slightly crooked, like zig-zags. It usually took her some time to straighten it. And she wanted to preserve it as best she could.

"Okay Daisy," Jason relented, "I guess I will wait here for you until you get done showering."

"Oh no mister." Daisy said with a smile.

She continued, "You are getting in there with me. Your hair is so scraggly right now. If I didn't know you, I would assume you were homeless."

"Alright, I guess you don't want to be seen holding hands with a hobo, right?" He asked jokingly.

Daisy burst out in laughter.

It warmed Jason's heart to hear Daisy laugh. Her warm laugh would remind Jason that even though he has seen the worst that this world has to offer, there is still some good left in the world.

Daisy was proof of this. A beautiful woman with a kind and generous heart, was enough to balance out the evil of the world.

It was Daisy's personality that Jason had fallen in love with years ago. Yes, there was no denying that she was incredibly beautiful, but looks with fade with time.

And Jason knew that Daisy will always have an inner beauty. A inner beauty that is strong enough that it can be seen on the outside. Jason would always be in love with her.

He knew that in the decades to come, when they have both grown old, Daisy's beauty will still shine clear as day.

"Alright then, come on." Daisy extended her hand out for Jason to take a hold of. She was standing in the doorway to the bathroom.

Jason got off the foot of the bed and onto his feet. He lifted his arms above his head and stretched his body. It felt good for Jason to stretch out in the morning after a long and deep sleep.

Something felt wrong. Jason looked down and saw that he still had an erection.

"Dammit, what the hell is wrong with me?!" Jason exclaimed.

Daisy was startled at his outburst.

"Jason… everything is fine, just calm down please." Daisy requested.

"No, no it's not." Jason responded to her. He was still upset with himself.

"There _is_ something wrong me. I never have had a… uh… you know like this, for no reason." Jason was puzzled with himself.

Daisy cut in with a serious tone. "Jason, you are a man. Sometimes men get erections in the mornings. It's not as weird as you are making it sound."

Jason rubbed his face to get the remaining sleep out of his eyes.

"Well it's just unusual for me to get one like this. And it's even stranger that it won't go away." Jason said, while simultaneously trying to rationalize to himself what was happening with his body.

Daisy sighed. A clear expression that she wanted Jason to move on and get in the shower with her.

"Come on Jason, lets stop wasting time." Daisy gestured her hand in a way that signaled for Jason to hurry up.

Jason walked towards Daisy reluctantly. He took Daisy's hand in his, as she pulled him into the bathroom. Daisy shut the door.

Daisy pulled the shower curtain and turned on the hot water. She placed her hand under the falling water to check if the temperature was suitable.

It took about a minute, but the water was nice and warm now. Daisy stepped into the shower which also doubled as a bathtub. Although neither one of them ever took baths.

Jason stood outside the shower, his feet on the cold tile floor.

His erection was still there. It was becoming an annoyance at this point. It was actually starting to be very uncomfortable. His penis was even starting to hurt a little bit.

"Jason what is wrong with you this morning? It seems like something is disturbing you." Daisy's voice was filled with concern.

"Well Daisy… I don't feel like I'm myself today. It feels like something is in control of my thoughts and my actions." Jason answered her truthfully.

_I have never been able to lie to her. Daisy is not the kind of woman that any man could lie to. She can handle the truth better than anyone I know._

_I have already told her that I sometimes hear a voice in my head._

_She still accepted me with open arms after I told her, maybe she will understand me again._

"Talk to me Jason I'm hear for you." Daisy told him.

She stepped out of the shower momentarily to listen to Jason. The shower was turned of so that Daisy could hear Jason better.

Jason sat down on the floor, crossed his legs, and leaned back against the cabinet. He had to make sure that he didn't accidently hit his erection while he crossed his legs. That would have hurt.

Daisy sat down beside his right side and laid her head on his right shoulder. Her skin was still wet from her few seconds of showering. Daisy's skinny left arm locked around his right, while her right harm curled around his torso to give him a quick hug.

Jason's left hand held Daisy's right hand. Jason and his soulmate interlocked their fingers together. Every finger of both hands crisscrossed one another. All except for Jason's ring finger, which wasn't really a finger but a stub.

Once Jason had returned to the United States, he immediately took himself to receive proper medical attention. In addition to his several bullet and knife wounds, Jason got treatment done on his finger. The end of what remained of his finger had be sutured up by doctors, and healed over time. Now the end is a rounded off nub.

"Daisy don't you want shower first, before you talk to me?" He asked.

He continued, "I can wait till later to talk with you afterwards."

"You're more important to me than the shower is. I want you to talk to me, tell me what's going on." Daisy's words were sincere.

Jason smiled at her words, and kissed the top of her head.

"Talk to me Jason. I'm always going to be here for you." Daisy said.

Jason inhaled deeply, preparing himself.

He began speaking. "I don't know exactly how to describe it. This feeling I have right now, isn't normal for me. This unwavering erection that I have is out of the norm for me as well."

Jason then kissed Daisy's right hand, in a sweet way.

He continued. "Daisy… this feeling that I have right now, it's like some kind of powerful primal energy or something. It is the same way that I felt while I was on the islands. Whenever I would have this feeling, I was able to do things I never thought that I could do. Every time I had to fight Vaas's goons, I would suddenly get this animalistic power that would flow through my body."

Jason didn't like where this conversation was heading, but he needed Daisy to understand where he was coming from.

"Ever since the Rakyat gave me this tattoo," Jason turned his arm to show Daisy his tattoo, "This powerful energy has been inside me."

As he was twisting his arm to exhibit his tattoo to Daisy, he made a quick glance down at his groin. He hoped that his erection had gone away by now.

To his annoyance, his penis was still erect.

_Is this how it's going to be all day? I can't go to the beach with this glaringly obvious erection. I need to get rid of it. _

_What is wrong with me? Why is my body harassing me like this?_

_Daisy won't have sex with me right now. So how the fuck am I going to get rid of this irritating hindrance? _

_There isn't any time for me to masturbate, because Daisy wants to leave as quickly as possible. Maybe I can do it quickly. I need to do something._

_I hate that this is happening to me._

Jason continued speaking. Hoping that if he ignored his erection by talking to Daisy, maybe it would go away.

"It would come out whenever I needed it to. It gave me the power to take on scores of pirates all by myself. When this inner energy was activated, I could sense danger and I would _literally_ be able to sense the presence of my enemies. It was like magic." Jason said trying to explain.

Daisy made a murmur noise, expressing that she was listening.

Daisy had been listening to Jason very attentively. He wasn't entirely sure if she was comprehending what he was trying to explain.

Jason decided to try and further describe what he had said.

"I know it sounds crazy. _Magic_. But I do feel as if there actually was something magical with those islands that we were on." Jason summarized.

He spoke as if the islands were somehow majestic and magical. Which is a strange contrast to what Jason and his friends had witnessed there. They saw vicious wild animals, psychotic pirates, and death and destruction all around.

"Sometimes when I assaulted a pirate base, I could _feel_ where the pirates were, even before I could actually see them with my own eyes. If one of them tried to go around a building and surprise me. I could feel them coming up beside or behind me. And I would quickly swing around to either shoot them or kill them another way." He said.

Still not sure if Daisy was grasping the concepts that he was putting out.

Daisy lifted her head from his shoulder to and looked up at Jason's face with her emerald eyes. Her eyes were filled with wonder.

Jason looked her in the eyes.

"Do you mean… like Spiderman's spider-sense?" Daisy asked.

She had a childish smile on her beautiful face.

Jason gave her a grin.

Daisy was not a naive girl, she was able to understand things once someone explained them to her. She was a fast learner.

This was one of the many reasons that Jason was madly in love with her. Ever since he first met her all those years ago, he knew that they had a connection. Almost like telepathy.

"I guess Spidey-Sense is the closest comparison you could make for it." He responded.

At that moment, they both moved their heads in to close with each other. They closed their eyes and met halfway in a kiss.

Jason took advantage of this moment. He poked his tongue into Daisy's mouth. She didn't resist him at all. Jason could tell that she _did_ enjoy his sudden explosion of passion, as it was unlike him.

In an attempt to take advantage of this moment and rid himself of his dreadful erection once and for all.

While they continued kissing, Jason released his hand's hold on Daisy's hand, and used it to fondle Daisy's tits.

Jason pulled away from their kiss. He needed to tell Daisy what he was trying to do.

He explained to Daisy. "I'm sorry Daisy, but I cannot make my erection go away. I know you do not want to have sex at this time, but I'm in extreme discomfort right now. And we _both_ know that there is only one way that I can rid myself of my erection."

Jason sighed. He didn't like having this awkward conversation with Daisy.

"I think that I am going to quickly masturbate while you start showering. I don't want you to see me doing it though. I don't want to weird you out. I will try and get done quickly. I will get in the shower with you once… I've finished… you know… ejaculating." The last part was awkward for him to say to Daisy.

Daisy responded with a surprising amount of sympathy and understanding.

"No. You don't need to do that." Daisy said.

"Huh?" He asked.

_Of course I do Daisy. I need to. I can't stand having an erection all day._

"You're right, I'm not in the mood for sex right now." She began. "But I don't like seeing you in this much discomfort." She said.

"So I am going to help you." She gave him a quick and mischievous smirk.

"What do you mean Daisy?" Jason asked confused.

"I told you that I'm going to help you. I love you so much." She said to Jason.

She gave him a fast and short kiss on the lips. And then she stared him in the eyes.

Daisy's right hand grabbed Jason's erect cock. This surprised Jason, and his body lightly shivered at this.

Daisy proceeded to stroke her hand up and down his length, jacking him off.

Her soft hand felt so pleasant.

As much as he enjoyed this sensation, he didn't want to do this to him if she wasn't getting any enjoyment out of it himself. Jason and Daisy only ever had regular intercourse. Jason liked pleasuring Daisy, as he found it more important than his own pleasure.

When they made love, it was a pleasurable experience for both of them.

But what she was doing to Jason now, would not give her any sexual satisfaction.

"Daisy you don't have to do this if you don't want to." He said to her.

The whole time that she was giving him a handjob, she was staring him in the eyes. Making it even weirder for him.

She didn't say anything. Daisy had been leaning up against Jason but now she move herself over on the tile floor slightly.

Jason was sitting cross legged on the floor.

And then Daisy did something that she had never done to Jason before today.

Instantly Daisy had taken Jason's erection in her mouth.

In all the years that they had been lovers, she had not once preformed oral sex on him. Jason had licked her pussy many times, but she had never given him a real blowjob.

She'd licked his penis before during foreplay a couple of times before. But nothing like she was doing to him now.

Up and down. Her mouth covering his dickhead and his foreskin.

Jason always cared more about her enjoyment than his.

But this whole day had already been strange for Jason. Everything was out of order. From his spontaneous animalistic sexual desire, to his annoying erection, to Daisy suddenly not being interested in sex.

And what Daisy was doing right now with her mouth, just made the day even stranger.

Jason decided that there was no use in dwelling on these thoughts and that he should just enjoy this moment.

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

Her mouth was so warm and wet. Her tongue so _soft_.

Jason had no idea if Daisy had ever sucked on another man's penis before. It didn't seem like it, as she was going about it quite clumsily. He assumed that this was the first time that she had ever tasted a man's penis.

Somehow, Daisy had stretched her whole mouth down his entire length.

The tip of Jason's cock had reached all the way to her throat. This caused her to gag lightly.

She needed to catch her breath, so Daisy pulled her mouth off of his cock for a few seconds.

At this point, Jason spoke up.

"Daisy you really don't need to do this. It doesn't seen like you are enjoying this. I don't want to make you uncomfortable." Jason said to his lover.

Daisy responded to him, all the while she was jerking him off.

"It's fine Jason." She said.

She resumed her fellatio.

Jason could feel himself getting close to an orgasm. Even though Daisy had only been pleasuring him for less than one minute.

His girlfriend's mouth pleasuring his manhood was a sensation that he had never experienced with Daisy.

And in an instant it came. Jason meant to warn Daisy, but it happened too quickly for him to speak up in time.

Jason ejaculated in Daisy's mouth. He didn't want to.

He was going to warn her before he shot out his semen. He assumed that when he gave her a heads up, that Daisy would let him cum on her hand while she stroked his cock. Or she would have him ejaculate on her breasts.

But he wasn't able to control himself. He came to orgasm too quick, faster than he ever had before. In under a minute.

_I guess I really… really… needed to ejaculate. _

_That must have been why my erection was so prominent. And why it wouldn't go away._

Daisy's body jerked in surprise when this happened.

Jason's felt his penis pulsating with every sortie of semen that shot out. His semen must have flew out with such force, that it hit the back of Daisy's throat.

It must have reached all the way to her uvula. This is why she gagged so violently.

He continued shooting out his cum in irregularly timed spurts.

_Everything about me is off today._

Somehow… somehow, Daisy never took her mouth away from his cock once.

And yet, she wasn't freaked out by his cum.

He continued ejaculating for about twenty seconds.

Jason felt very bad and guilty for ejaculating inside of her mouth without warning.

"I'm Sorry, I-I meant to tell you when I… before I-." Jason tried to apologize but stammered instead.

Daisy must have swallowed his semen, as none of it had fallen out of her mouth.

Jason felt himself relieved. His erection dilemma had been solved. He could feel his penis going flaccid.

Daisy still had her mouth around his slowly softening manhood. Her mouth still going up and down his dick, which started feeling just a little bit unpleasant due to his penis's sensitivity after ejaculating.

But his cock softened in just a few seconds.

Daisy took her mouth off of Jason's soft penis. She then wiped the outside of her mouth with the back of her right hand.

Jason heard Daisy's throat make a gulping sound, she must have just swallowed the last remainder of his cum.

And the something strange happened.

Daisy looked up at Jason, and then smiled. Why?

Jason was very confused.

_How can she be happy? I just accidently ejaculated in her mouth. Why is she smiling?_

"Daisy, why are you smiling?" He asked. He really needed an answer that made sense.

But instead of answering, she bent back down and began licking his ballsack as she held them in her right hand.

As if she was horny and wanting more.

"What are doing?" Jason asked confused. "It is going to be a while before I'm able to get an erection again."

She stoped lick for a second.

"I just like your body." Was all that she said to him.

And she resumed fondling his balls with her tongue.

Then, she slid her lips up and down the top of his penis.

But she then stopped a few seconds later.

Then she stood up.

Daisy was walking over to the bathroom sink. She took the cap off the mouthwash bottle, and filled it with cold water from the sink. She gargled the water in her mouth then spit it into the sink.

Next, she filled the cap with mouthwash and put that into her mouth, then spit into the sink.

Daisy stared into the bathroom mirror. Jason looked up at her beautiful body.

He wasn't horny any longer. But he enjoyed looking at Daisy's naked skin. Her slim figure, her golden hair, and her eyes… her colorful eyes.

That was what Jason loved the most about Daisy's body. Her eyes.

Her looks will fade with time, as will Jason's. But her eyes. No… her pretty eyes will stay with her forever.

Daisy's eyes will continue to illuminate her inner beauty, long after her outer beauty has faded away.

"Daisy… why did you smile at me?" Jason asked again, hoping for an answer this time.

She was leaning on the marble bathroom sink, looking into the mirror.

There was a long moment of silence before she responded to her paramour.

"I smiled because… well… I love you so, so much." She said still staring at the mirror.

Her answer was strange. Jason already knew that she loved him. Was that _really_ the reason that she had smiled?

"I already knew that Daisy." He told her.

Jason got up off the tile floor to stand behind Daisy. Standing up behind her, he wrapped his arms around Daisy in a bear hug.

He looked at the mirror to observe her reaction. She smiled again. With his arms around her body, Daisy was only able to move her forearms and hands.

Daisy lifted up her tiny hands, and put them on Jason's strong arms.

He asked her again. "Was that _really_ why you were smiling?"

Daisy's green eyes started shining in the mirror.

"Well… no… not entirely." Daisy began to respond.

She paused for a few seconds, but then resumed speaking.

"I don't know if you heard me talking to you in your sleep the other day. The day after Liza had stopped by our house, and you had overheard what we talked about." She said.

Suddenly, Jason had remembered. Somehow he had completely forgotten about Daisy kissing his ear and talking to him in his sleep.

And he had forgotten about Daisy telling him that she fell in love with him the moment she first met. Back when Grant was still alive.

Daisy continued speaking, but she was stammering. "But Jason… that morning… well, I told you that… I-"

"I know Daisy, you fell in love me the moment we first met." Jason spoke before Daisy was able to continue.

He continued speaking. "Even when you were Grant's girlfriend. You still loved me. I _did_ hear you. I did. Somehow I could here your voice while I was completely asleep. When I first heard your voice, I thought you were part of a dream. But you were really there."

Jason was still behind his lover, embracing her. He saw a few tears slide down her delicate cheeks.

_Don't cry Daisy._

"But is wasn't a dream," he continued, "You _were_ real, Daisy.

"You know how I knew that it was not a dream?" He asked.

"Hmm?" Daisy hummed, as if asking.

"Because you left my ear wet." Jason grinned.

Then he kissed her left ear.

Daisy laughed. Then she sniffled, and wiped her tears with her hands.

"Don't cry Daisy, please?." Jason requested in a soft and comforting tone.

"I'm sorry… I don't want to cry." She replied.

"Tell me what is making you cry, please? Maybe I can help you. But I cant unless I know what's making you sad." Jason's voice was filled with concern.

Daisy released herself from her lover's hug. She turned around to look Jason in his eyes.

Jason could sense that what she was about to say, was going to be hard for her.

Daisy stood square across from Jason. She then placed both her hands on Jason's shoulders.

"I'm sad Jason. I am sad because the only reason that we are together is because your brother was killed. We could never have ended up together if things had happened differently." Daisy said with a shaky voice.

It was clear to Jason that she was struggling to hold back her tears.

"Something about us being together… it just doesn't seem right." She continued.

"Daisy don't say-" Jason tried to console Daisy but she interrupted him before he could finish.

"If Grant was still alive, I would still be with him and not you. I loved him, but I was not _IN LOVE_ with him. Not like I loved you. But still, I cared about him. Grant treated me properly, never raised his voice at me, took me out to nice restaurants, everything. On the outside, Grant was a strong and tough man, but he did have a soft side." Daisy had spoke with such emotion.

Jason was at a loss for words. So he said nothing at all, and let Daisy continue.

Daisy resumed talking. "I wanted _you_, Jason. But I cared about Grant too much to hurt him like that. If I ended my relationship with your brother, and _then_ started one with you… that would have destroyed him. Like I told you, your brother _did_ have an emotional side. He wasn't just a tough guy. He wouldn't have been able to handle seeing his younger brother with his ex-girlfriend."

Daisy pulled her arms back to her chest, and curled them up so her hands were under her chin.

Jason's heart broke when she started sobbing.

Where just a minute before she was softly crying. But now Daisy was sobbing in pain.

Unable to stand seeing her like this, Jason stepped forward to hold her.

_Just let me hold you Daisy. Don't cry. I'm here… I'm here for you Daisy. I will hold onto you for as long as it takes. As long as it takes to stop your tears. _

_I will stand here for a thousand years if I have to. Till the end of time, if need be._

_I will do anything for you, I will do everything for you. _

_You are mine… and I am yours… _

_Forever…_

Jason hugged Daisy's slender body. She laid her head on his chest.

Jason could feel her tears falling onto his torso, only to let gravity pull them down his body until they fell onto the tile.

As her tears were congealing on the floor, Jason began gently stroking her golden hair.

Trying to brush away some small amount of her sadness with each stroke of his hand.

There was a lull in her crying. She momentarily stopped sobbing, which gave Daisy time to speak before she resumed crying.

She resumed. "I wish that I could of have had both. I wish Grant was still here… and that you and me could be together while he still lived. Everyday I think about Grant and everyday I miss him. Your brother was my best friend… at least, that is how I felt about him. He loved me, but I couldn't fall in love with him. No matter how much I wanted to. You are the only man that I have ever been in love with. I felt a mental connection to you, the first time that I shook your hand. Do you remember that day, Jason? Do you remember the first time we ever met each other?"

"I remember that day… I always will." Jason said.

He continued. "Me and Liza joined you and Grant on a double date at that one restaurant. I remember the restaurant, but I can not recall the name of it."

"It was called Leonardo's. They serve the best Italian food in the entire city." Daisy said.

"Yes, that's it. Leonardo's." Jason remembered.

"I remember the four of us had met up with each other in the lobby, where we waited for a table to be ready for us." Daisy reminisced.

"That was the very first time that I ever saw you." She said with a smile on her face.

She continued. "I didn't have any feelings for you when you first introduced yourself to me. But the second you shook my hand…"

She stopped speaking for a moment then resumed.

"The second our hands touched. The second our skin came into contact… I felt a strange feeling suddenly jolt through my entire body. And it was in that moment that I fell in love with you. At that moment in time, I felt something that felt like a mental connection with you." Daisy said with wide emerald eyes.

Daisy's revelation hit Jason like a ton of bricks.

Daisy had lowered her head to stare at the tile floor.

This was the exact same thing that Jason had felt the first time that they had touched. What she just described, what _exactly_ the same thing that happened to him.

He had to tell her… he needed her to know that the same had happened to him.

"Daisy, look at me." Jason said as he gently lifted her head up by holding up her chin, so that their eyes were connected.

"The _exact_ same thing happened to me. The second we touched, I felt a connection to you. That's when I fell in love with you." He said wide eyed.

And then things started to make sense to Jason.

_Our mental connection. That is how I was able to hear you so clearly in my sleep. Even though I was asleep, I understood every single word that you said, as if I was awake. There wasn't any haze or blur around your words. No… I heard you as clear as I would have if I'd been awake._

_But Daisy, of course you feel a mental connection to me. Why else would you have had such a long and detailed conversation with a sleeping man? Unless you subconsciously knew that I could hear you plain as day._

Daisy's eyes glowed as she stared into Jason's eyes.

"Before we were together, we didn't see each other very much. I only ever saw you when you and Grant would visit, or when there was a party at your house. But whenever I got close to you, I could understand what you were thinking. I couldn't read your mind like people do in the movies. But someway, I _knew_ what you were thinking." Jason said.

This was a lot to try and explain to Daisy. Jason noticed that she was overwhelmed by all of this new information.

So Jason gave her a passionate kiss on the lips. Just for a few seconds. He wanted to distract her, if only for a little bit.

"Also, Daisy," Jason resumed speaking, "you must have known that I could hear every word that you said to me while I was sleeping. Otherwise, you wouldn't of have had such a long conversation with me. It wouldn't make sense to speak with such detail to an unconscious sleeping person. But you could sense that I was able to understand you, right? You could sense that I was comprehending all of your words… you did didn't you?"

For a second, Daisy's eyes looked over to the side. She was thinking. She then lifted up her hands and took hold of Jason's hand that was holding up her chin.

"You're right. You _are_ exactly right. You are absolutely right Jason." She said in a matter of fact tone.

She stopped staring off to the side and returned her eyes to match Jason's.

"Jason… I'm staring to think that maybe… well maybe what you told me about the Islands being "magic" is not as far fetched as it sounds." she said.

Jason was thinking of how he should respond. But she began speaking again before he could reply.

"It sounds crazy… "magic"… but, how else could we describe our relationship… our _mental_ relationship?" Daisy questioned Jason.

But he didn't have any answers either.

He responded the best way he could. "You are right, I _does_ sound ridiculous. But If I give it some thought, then I can see how it is not out of the realm of possibility."

"Whenever I triumphed of all of those pirates, it felt like there was some kind of otherworldly force that aided me." Jason said.

"Like I told you Daisy. I could tell where the pirates were before I saw them. I don't know if it was magic, or my sixth sense, or something else. All I know is that it wasn't normal. Before I journeyed to the islands, I never didn't have any of those special abilities. If that isn't magic… then I don't know what to call it." He said.

He continued. "And our connection must have started the second we first shook hands at Leonardo's."

"It must have. As that is the same time that I fell in love with you. It only makes sense that this was the same time that we established a connection." Daisy said.

Jason smiled at her. "I know… it's a lot to take in right now. Why don't why just ignore all of this magic talk until later. Right now… we should get in the shower. Your hair really needs to be taken care of."

She laughed heartily. Daisy's laugh was the most pleasant sound that Jason had ever heard.

Daisy didn't respond to Jason at all, except with a smile.

Daisy stepped into the shower. Dragging Jason along by pulling on his arms. With them both in the shower, Daisy turned on the hot water.

Before she started applying her shampoo and conditioner, she wrapped her arms around Jason's neck.

She kissed him on the lips. All the while the water poured down onto their nude skin.

Daisy stopped kissing him and stepped back. "I would like it if you'd massage my hair with this shampoo. That way I can just stand here and relax."

"Oh... so now I'm your personal beautician?" He stared at her and joked.

Her fingers playfully pinched his cheeks. "We will see how well you do. And if you're any good, I might just hire you again."

"Turn around then." He said smiling.

And then she turned around. Jason's eyes tilted downwards to stare at her slender back and skinny ass cheeks.

"You might want to close your eyes so that the shampoo doesn't get into your eyes." He suggested.

"They're already closed." She affirmed.

And so Jason ran his fingers through her golden hair, letting the shampoo sink in deep.

Jason rejoiced in the fact that he was given such a soulmate.

_There is more that I want to talk about. _

_Talk to you about. _

_I don't know if you can hear me thinking right now, but I want you to know how happy I am with you. _

_I have never once regretted falling in love with you._

_We have had our fair share of difficulties, and we will certainly have more in the time to come._

_But we can face them together._

_I am part of you, as your are a part of me._

She then washed the shampoo out of her hair a few minutes later. And Jason then applied the same shampoo to his hair.

The two continued showering for another ten minutes.

And then, to his surprise…

As he was passionately kissing Daisy…

Jason felt himself get an erection.

_Not now… not again._

* * *

/

(To Be Continued)

Please leave a review if you like the story so far.


	8. Chapter 8 : Same Color As Her Eyes

**A/N:** Katdog161 story mentioned Daisy's eyes as blue/sapphire. Minor continuity error with Daisy's eye color. References made to chapter 8 of "Heal My Insanity".

Chapter 8: {_Same Color As Her Eyes_}

* * *

/

(A Few Days Later)

"We have only spoken about it once before. But when we did, we weren't considering it with much seriousness." Jason said to Liza.

Jason had met up Liza at their favorite coffee shop to talk. The thing that he wanted to talk about with her, was not the normal topic that most average ex-boyfriends and ex-girlfriends discussed.

But Jason thought of Liza as his best friend. And someone that he could trust. She also never judged Jason.

Jason reminisced.

/

After Jason and everyone had returned to Santa Monica, Liza avoided Jason for several months. She was furious at him for everything. Liza was pissed about Jason wanting to abandon his friends, about Citra's temple, and that he had broken up with her. It was obvious to everybody on the escape boat that Jason was in love with Daisy.

Pretty much everyone that he had been on the island with had stopped talking to him. Everyone except Daisy.

In the few months since the two of them had been back in Santa Monica, rumors had been circulating about the extent of Daisy and Jason's relationship.

Some people had said that Daisy and Jason had been sexually involved before their tragic vacation.

Even though Liza had been angry with Jason, she knew in her heart that he had never cheated on her. Liza had told him this a few years ago. Back when the two of them were repairing their relationship.

Oddly enough, Daisy had been the one to rebuild Liza and Jason's friendship.

Several months after everyone's return to Santa Monica, Liza had removed Jason from her life completely. But one day Daisy had contacted Liza over the phone and the two of them met up at the coffee shop to speak with each other.

That same day, Daisy had told Jason that she was heading out to see Liza. She also told Jason that she needed to explain things to Liza. Daisy didn't want Liza to resent the two of them for the rest of their lives.

That same day Daisy had returned home a few hours later. She told Jason that Liza was still upset about everything, but that she was glad to talk with Daisy.

Jason never asked Daisy what _exactly_ it was that she said to Liza, but two days later Liza had called Jason and said she wanted to talk over a cup of coffee.

It was the first time that Jason and Liza had met face to face since they had returned home. Jason had shook in anxious and nervous anticipation of seeing Liza again.

To his surprise, Liza was very cordial and was not visibly angry with him. Jason was dumbfounded when Liza had walked over to him, and gave him a strong hug.

They had spoke for well over an hour, even after they had finished their cups of coffee. They loitered around in the coffee shop. Sitting in a booth next to a large glass window.

Jason had apologized profoundly to Liza for his actions on the Islands and for his abrupt breakup with her.

Jason expressed how sorry he was for not telling Liza that he had been in love with Daisy even while they were still dating. He mentioned to Liza that he still cared for her, but only as a friend and not as a lover.

He told Liza that he still wanted to at least be friends with her, if that was at all possible.

Jason and Liza had dated for almost a year, and Jason and Liza couldn't deny that they enjoyed each others company. That had some good times together.

Liza explained to Jason that before Daisy had spoke with her, she had wanted nothing to do with him and never wanted to see him again. But whatever things that Daisy had said to her or told her about, completely changed her mind.

Daisy always has had a way with words, but what _exactly_ did she say to Liza to make her change her mind?

_Maybe Daisy had established some sort of mental connection with Liza. Just like she has with me._

_Not a romantic connection with Liza, but some kind of connection. I mean, Daisy did invite Liza over while I was away to talk about my actions that one night. She is obviously close enough with Liza to talk to her about difficult topics. _

_Daisy has a lot of friends that she met at college. Some of her friends she has known for years. Daisy wasn't really that close to Liza before everything that happened on the islands. _

_Maybe Daisy feels comfortable talking to Liza about me because she is one of the few people who have witnessed the "real" me. Keith, Oliver, and Riley have all seen me kill. And I haven't talked or seen Keith or Oliver in years. And I only ever talk to Riley occasionally, he is my little brother after all, and the my only living brother._

_Liza and Daisy are the only friends that I have left, or at least the ones who still talk to me regularly. But I'm fine with that. _

_The two of them are all that I need in my life. One best friend, and one soulmate._

/

Liza snapped Jason out of his reminiscing and his thoughts.

"Do you think that Daisy would want to do this?" Liza asked him.

Jason considered Liza's words. She had a point.

_Me and Daisy are in love, and we are already soulmates. Would doing this make our relationship really that different in any way?_

_Probably not. _

_But I still want to ask Daisy and get her opinion on it._

Jason responded. "Actually… I'm not sure if she would or not. We have never discussed this at all. Well… except… except when all of us stayed at that hotel. You remember that hotel right? That one that everybody ended up staying in for a few days… you know, after we escaped the islands?"

"Yeah, I remember that hotel." Liza slightly smiled. "I remember Daisy paying for all of our rooms. She was the only one of us that still had cash, and a credit card. The pirate bastards stole what little we had."

"But Daisy was always a clever girl. She had managed to hide her wallet and the rest of her money, under a rock before she got captured. That was some quick thinking." Liza continued.

Jason smiled at that. He smiled at the memory.

He remembered when Daisy had their escape boat pull up to shore. Daisy leaped from the boat and into the shallow ocean water. She walked through the water and made it to the beach.

Jason had followed her into the water. He had just gone through hell with Daisy, and wasn't going to let her stumble into another dangerous situation.

With Jason guarding her, Daisy lifted up a large brown rock situated next to a large and distinctive tree. She surprised everyone by her hidden stash of money.

"When those pirates came after us, we were all so scared and cowering. But Daisy was thinking ahead and hid her money from those goons." Jason said.

"Yes. She is a smart woman. There is no denying that." A big smile stretched across Jason's face.

He resumed speaking about that night at the hotel.

"Anyway… I had stepped out of my room to look for a vending machine to buy a soda. But I had not gotten far outside my room's door, when Daisy had caught me in the hallway. She had some sodas in a mini fridge in her suite." Jason said.

Jason didn't mention all of the sexual tension that he had when he entered Daisy's room. He figured that his ex-girlfriend wouldn't want to hear about that.

"Daisy treated and stitched up all of my wounds. I still don't know how I never suffered a single infection from all of those wounds. Proper medical treatment was non existent on the islands." He said.

"Anyway," Jason started, "enough about my wounds, I will spare you all of the grizzly details about how I got each one of them. But… whenever I look at myself in the mirror and see all of my scars, it doesn't feel like I'm looking at my own reflection in a mirror, but like I'm looking through a window and seeing another person entirely."

Jason glanced down at his left hand which he had laid on the top of their table. His left hand had a stub where his ring finger used to be, as well as a small scar on the back of that same hand. Those two scars were the only ones visible. That is, if Jason was fully clothed.

Under his attire he had more scars, some minuscule and others large and ghastly.

If he stripped his clothes, all of his scars would become clear to see.

Under his left shoulder he had two bullet holes, both from the same bullet. The bullet had penetrated his upper chest and went all they way through his body, where it expelled out of his back. Which left an exit wound. It was one bullet, but left two holes.

This was the only wound, other than his finger and left hand, that Jason could remember getting. He had more scars, but he couldn't remember how or when he got them.

But this one he would always remember. It had been terrible.

It had been a 7.62x39 that had torn through his body. Jason was thankful that it was such a large and slow moving projectile, as it had easily passed through his body without causing the kind of internal damage that was untreatable.

If the bullet had been a smaller caliber such as a 5.56x45 or 5.45x39, then the internal damage to his body would have been catastrophic. The 5.45x39 is an especially nasty round to get shot with. And he most likely would have died due to internal bleeding if he had been hit by either of those calibers.

But fortunately, almost every single pirate carried some variation of the Kalashnikov that fired the 7.62x39 caliber. Those rifles and ammunition are abundant in every illegal black market across the globe, and relatively inexpensive due to excess surplus from China and former Eastern European communist countries that sold old military equipment off to pump money into their bankrupt socialist nations.

So it is no surprise that all of Vaas's goons had all been equipped with them.

Some pirate had panicked when he saw Jason and had swung his Chinese Kalashnikov around so that the muzzle was pointing in Jason's direction. The pirate held down on the trigger until the magazine was spent. The pirate had been so terrified in that moment, that he did not even aim his rifle and fired randomly. Every shot had missed Jason, except for that one.

The pirate had fumbled when trying to reload as he was clearly scared shitless. Jason to advantage of this. Jason had only been about twenty feet away, so he ran up to the pirate and had slashed his throat with a quick swing of his machete.

As the pirate feel to his knees, Jason watched him grip his hands around his neck in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding. And then Jason felt his anger turn to pity and sorrow.

Jason was wide eyed as he saw that the pirate that laid on his knees bleeding to death, was just a teenager. Probably only eighteen years old. The boy pirate's face was covered in tears. And Jason saw that the boy's eyes weren't filled with evil, but only terror and fear. This broke Jason's heart.

For all he knew, that boy could have been forced into service by Vaas or his pirates. Maybe he had been captured and the pirates forcibly conscripted him. They could have told him that he was going to be a guard at some outpost, and if he refused they would have murdered him themselves. Jason knew nothing about this boy, or if he even wanted to be aligned with the pirates. Maybe he was a slave soldier with his family being held as collateral by Vaas's goons.

The boy certainly didn't seem very enthusiastic about being in combat. He was only scared. A scared little boy was all that Jason saw, not an evil pirate.

Right before the boy had finally died, he made a noise like he was trying to speak. He then died and fell face forward onto the ground, his eye opened wide in fear.

That had been the only time that Jason felt guilt and remorse for killing.

Occasionally, that boy's face would haunt Jason's dreams.

He was so young, and even though he was a pirate, it still felt like an unfortunate tragedy.

Jason had envisioned every pirate and mercenary that he killed, as just another nameless enemy. It was easier to see them this way. If he didn't consider them as people, it made killing them all the more easier.

He wished that he could remember that one pirate as just another nameless enemy, but when he tried, all he saw was a scared little boy who had no business being in combat.

His other scars included a slash on his back, a bullet hole on his lower right abdomen, a stab wound on his lower left abdomen, a few scratches from falling into or running into thick foliage, two burn marks on his torso and one burn on his upper right arm, and a puncture scar on his left calf.

"You are still the Jason that I know, even if your body is covered in scars. You're still you." Liza said to Jason.

Her words pulled Jason out of his thoughts.

"I appreciate you Saying that Liza." Jason said sincerely.

"I'm lucky to have you as my friend, well… you are really my best and only friend. Other than Daisy that is." He said.

Liza didn't have any response for what he had just said, so she remained silent and let Jason continue on.

He resumed his story.

Jason began again. "At that point, I am pretty sure that Daisy knew that I loved her… that I was in love with her. When she was stitching up one of my wounds, I had stupidly blurted it out. I said that I wanted to get married someday but I wouldn't be able to wear a wedding ring because of my missing finger. I wasn't trying to say that I wanted to marry Daisy, I meant it as something abstract. Like when someone says "_hey, I want to get married someday_" but they aren't talking about marrying anyone in particular."

He paused for a second.

"But Daisy probably understood what I _was_ trying to say, that I didn't mean marry _her_ just marry someone at sometime." He said.

"So you two haven't ever discussed getting married at all?" Liza asked.

"No, not once." He responded. "And I'm not sure if she would even want to get married at all."

"Well I support the idea of you two getting married. But I think that you should talk with Daisy first before you propose to her, Daisy is a casual girl and I don't think that she would care whether or not you propose to her in a dramatically romantic way." Liza said.

"You are right Liza." He said. "Daisy isn't one for theatrics."

He continued. "So I don't think I will hire a band to play passionate music while I propose."

Liza laughed at his sarcastic joke.

_Maybe I'm not too far gone. Apparently I still have a sense of humor, so I guess that I am still human. _

_I'm not a complete monster._

"Come on Jason. Show me the ring again." Liza smiled at him.

Jason pulled the small black ring box out of his pocket. He took the ring out of the box and handed it to Liza across the table. She picked it up with her right hand.

She held the ring up with both hands to look at using the sunlight's rays to illuminate the gold and the gemstones.

The ring was made of solid gold with five green emeralds. The four smaller emeralds were placed to the two sides of the large central emerald. Two smaller emeralds on each side of the large one.

"Oh… it's beautiful Jason." Liza said.

Jason smiled. "I know that most men buy diamond rings, but I wanted the gemstone to be the same color as her eyes."

Liza continued to stare at the ring for a few more seconds before she returned it to Jason.

"Well I think that it is sweet that you wanted it to match her eyes. And I guarantee that Daisy will love that you thought that. It's sweet that you thought about her eye color when considering which ring that you wanted to buy." She said.

"Thanks. I try and be romantic." Jason grinned as he put the ring back in the box and placed it into his pocket.

"I'm thinking about asking her today. When she comes home from work." Jason said.

"Are you sure that you want to just ask her out of the blue? You _really_ don't want to talk about it with her first?" Liza reinforced the same question that she had asked him earlier.

Jason reconsidered her question again. But he had made his mind up.

"No, I have decided that I will ask her today, when she comes home. And if she says "No" then I will be fine with that. I can always ask her again if she seems ready. Or not. We could just stay boyfriend and girlfriend for the rest of lives and I would be content. As long as we're together, that's all that matters to me." He responded decisively.

Liza gave him a quick smile. She was silent for about ten seconds.

"Well." She began, pausing momentarily the resuming. "I really hope that she says yes. You both deserve to be happy for the rest of your lives. Especially considering all of the horrors that both of you have lived through."

"You are right, surviving on those islands was awful." He said.

Jason looked over towards Liza. She had a particularly strange look on her face.

"What is it Liza? I can tell that you are thinking about something. Tell me what's up." Jason was curious to know what it was that she was thinking.

Liza avoided Jason's eyes, looking out the window.

"Please tell me Liza, what is it?" He asked again.

"Jason, I um, I was actually… I was referring to what happened to you guys on _that_ pirate ship. After you went off to save Daisy from those pirates that kidnapped her. And… what they made you do to her." Liza said somberly.

Then she turned her head to look at Jason.

_How does she know about that? I have never told anyone about what happened to me and Daisy on that pirate ship._

_The only people who know what happened are me and Daisy, all the pirates that were on that vessel were killed. Leaving only the two of us. Only we know what went down that day._

_But me and Daisy aren't the only ones who know. _

_No… somehow… someway… Liza knows._

_She knows, but yet she doesn't think that I'm a monster? She has told me many times that I am not a monster. How could she possibly not think that I am a monster, knowing what she knows? _

_But the more important question is, how does she know?_

"Liza, _how_ do you know about that?" Jason asked. He needed to know.

Liza gave a heavy sigh. "Daisy told me. She told me a few months after we all returned home."

Jason was absolutely speechless.

_It was Daisy? Daisy told Liza? Why would she tell Liza about that._

"Wait a minute, did Daisy tell you this when she met you that day? That day that she wanted to talk with so that you wouldn't resent the two of us?" he asked.

Liza responded in a surprisingly calm tone.

"Yes Jason, you are right about that. After I heard the story that she told me, I just had to see how you were holding up. I was angry with you, but deep down inside of me, I still cared about you and didn't want you to blame yourself for what those pirates made you do to Daisy. So I felt like I needed to come see you. I owed you that at least." She told him.

"What _exactly_ did Daisy tell you about that pirate ship?" His voice had a slight tinge of anger.

"Jason. What those sick fuckers made you do to Daisy was _not_ your fault. They were going to put her through unimaginable torment, and you knew that, which is why you chose the lesser of two evils." Liza told him.

Jason stared down at the table, feeling ashamed of himself all over again.

"That is the same thing that Daisy tried to tell me. When I ran away into the jungle, and Daisy ran after me. You remember don't you?" He asked.

"I remember." Liza responded. "And again, I'm sorry that I was such a bitch to you back then. I was still upset about you ending our relationship."

Jason understood why Liza had acted out. And he didn't want her to apologize for her actions. Jason understood where she was coming from. She had already apologized before, on that one day when she met with Jason to try and rekindle their friendship.

"Please Liza, you shouldn't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. I understand why you were so upset. And you had every right to be pissed off with me." He said.

At this time Jason wanted to change the discussion topic to something less painful.

After a long pause between the two of them, Jason broke the silence.

"Liza, can we stop talking about it? Please Liza?" He asked desperately.

"Okay Jason. I am sorry that I brought it up." She said in an apologetic tone.

"It's fine Liza… lets just talk about something else." He said.

_Ask her if she believes that there was magic on those islands. Do it Jason, you know that the magic was real._

_And your Daisy believes in it too._

Jason heard his subconscious speaking. His subconscious had left him in peace and alone for several days.

But now it was rearing its ugly head again.

"Liza… can I ask you a strange question?" Jason asked.

Liza gave him a weird look.

"Don't worry. It is not a question that will make you uncomfortable." He added to reassure her.

Liza looked relieved. "Oh, uh okay. I guess so."

"I know that this is going to sound really, really crazy but… well… me and Daisy were talking the other day, and we thought that maybe those islands that we were on might have been _magic_." He said.

"Did you ever feel any kind of _magic_ or you know something like magic while we were there?" Jason asked Liza. Hoping that he didn't sound too loony.

"Magic? What do you mean?" Liza asked confused.

"Me and Daisy both felt some kind of otherworldly presence while we were there. That cave with the pool of water that we all hid in, the one that was under Dr. Earnhardt's house, Daisy thought that it was magical. She had told me that she felt something strange flow through her body whenever she touched that water in the cave." Jason continued.

Liza didn't respond. She was either deciding on her response, or was at a loss of words. Or she was thinking that Jason has finally gone completely loony.

"The other day Daisy had told me that she actually wanted to go back to the islands. If only once. She wants to feel that cave water again." He said.

He continued on. "But, I don't think that I could handle going back there. All of the horrible memories, all of the pain, I feel like it would be far too much for me to handle."

A month or so after Jason and his friends had escaped the Rook Islands, news had gotten out into the world press about the turmoil going on there. The Indonesian government had been placed under pressure by the international community, to take back control of their province.

After being shamed by the international community, the Indonesian government had sent out forces to re-establish control over the Rook Island archipelago. They had sent in marines and naval contingents to mop up any remaining pirates. There were only a few dozen pirates left in the area. 90% of the pirates had either fled or had been killed by the time that the Indonesian authorities had arrived on the islands. Jason had done most of the work, finishing off the pirates almost single handedly, although the native Rakyat had done their fair share of the fighting.

Authority on the islands had been re-established surprisingly quickly, in about a month. After the pirates had been dealt with, Hoyt's criminal empire had been dismantled and the mercenaries dealt with. Most of the mercenaries had wormed their way out of justice, by claiming ignorance about Hoyt's criminality. The said that they thought that Hoyt was on the islands to mine for gemstones or rare minerals.

Only Hoyt's inner circle had been rounded up and imprisoned. The men who had enough dirt on them to lock them up in prison.

The islands have retuned to their prewar state, In the few years that Jason had been away. The Indonesian government had repaired much of the existing infrastructure and buildings on the islands. The islands once had a small tourism industry, but in the years that the pirates controlled the islands, the few foreigners that visited the islands, had been captured by the pirates and held for ransom or enslaved.

But after law and order had been restored to the islands, the economy of the islands had experienced a small economic upswing. And the islands were now safe for foreigners and natives alike.

The native Rakyat of the Rook Islands were not ethnically Indonesian. The Rakyat are ethnically related to the Filipinos. Their ancestors immigrated from The Philippines sometime around 2,000 to 1,500 years ago, according to the historical anthropologists. They are also on average a few inches taller than the average man or woman from The Philippines. Although the Rakyat have since adopted the Indonesian language, they still recognize their ethnic ancestry. Roughly a fourth of the Rakyat speak English as well. This is a result of being a former British colony.

Due to the Rakyat not being ethnically related to the Indonesians and being a distant province with limited value to Indonesia, it is no wonder that the Indonesian government did little to fix the crisis that was happening on the islands. Until they were pressured by the international community.

Their conversation resumed.

"Why would you ever want to go back to _that_ place." Liza asked, surprised.

Liza still hadn't answered his question about whether or not she believed in magic. Instead she had asked him a question in return.

_Can I blame her? My question about magic must have made me sound crazy_.

Jason decided to not badger Liza anymore about the "magic" question.

"I don't want to revisit those islands, but I will admit that I feel like something is trying to pull me back there. It is hard for me to try and explain, but it is like someone has a hold of my subconscious and is trying to get me to return to that place." Jason said.

"Jason… you lost me. I don't understand what you are trying to say." Liza was completely lost.

Before Jason could try and explain himself to Liza, he checked his phone to see the time. It was five pm. Daisy would be returning home shortly. The doctor's office closed at five every weekday. But she was further away from home than Jason was.

"Sorry Liza. I want to get home before Daisy so that I can surprise her." He said as he quickly stood up from his chair.

"Okay." She said.

"Do you want to talk to me again in a couple days?" She asked Jason. She sounded almost like she was concerned about him.

"We'll play it by ear." He responded.

Jason was in an hurry to leave.

"Well…" Liza started, "will you tell me what Daisy says?"

"I will Liza don't worry. You will be the first one I tell." He said.

Liza had gotten out of her seat as well.

And the she surprised Jason by giving him a huge hug.

She had hugged him before, but it was not a usual occurrence. She usually only ever hugged him when he was in distress.

He hesitated at first, but then Jason hugged her back.

Liza was a little bit taller than most women. Five foot eight, and even taller when wearing shoes.

"See you later." Jason said as he let go of Liza.

"Okay see you later, I'm going stay here and buy another cup of coffee." She said.

"Bye." Jason walked out the entrance door and headed to his car.

_I will see you soon Daisy._

_And I will have a ring. One that is the same color as your eyes._

_Your beautiful… beautifu__l… _

_Beautiful emerald eyes _

* * *

/

(To Be Continued)

Write whatever review you want if you like the story.


	9. Chapter 9: What Do You Say?

Chapter 9: {_What Do You Say?_}

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(A Half Hour Later)

It was around five thirty in the afternoon, and Daisy would be arriving home any minute.

Jason was sitting on the couch waiting for her.

He didn't feel nervous, only excited and giddy.

Jason felt like a schoolboy giving a gift to his valentine's day crush. He just hoped that the schoolgirl that he liked would accept his present.

Jason knew that Daisy might reject his marriage offer. But if she did, the Jason wouldn't mind. As he already knew that he would be with Daisy forever, even if they weren't married.

They had a bond that meant a hell of a lot more than marriage. Their thoughts, emotions, desires, and love were linked together. If it was magic or something else, Jason couldn't say.

But they had a mental connection. And both of them knew it.

He heard the faint sound of a car door closing.

Moments later, the front door opened. Daisy had entered wearing her dark blue scrubs that she wore everyday for work.

"Daisy!" Jason said excitedly. Happy to see her.

Her facial expression showed that she was somewhat put off by Jason's sudden joyous attitude. As it was unlike him.

But she gave him an affectionate smile anyways.

_It has probably been a long while since she has seen me filled with some much joy. She has stayed by my side through all the bad days that I've had. Times that would have caused most women to end their relationship with me, due to me being such a beast of burden. I am damaged goods._

_But Daisy loves me. Even with all of my faults and shortcomings. _

"Oh… uh, hey Jason." She said.

Jason smiled at her like a simpleton.

"What's got you in such a good mood? I haven't seen you act this way in quite some time." Daisy returned his smile with one of her own. Her green eyes sparkled.

Daisy closed the door behind her, and started walking towards the kitchen counter to empty the contents of her pockets.

Jason and Daisy both left their phones, car keys, and wallets on the kitchen countertop when they weren't using them.

Jason lifted himself up from the couch and met Daisy halfway in her travel.

He pulled her into his embrace. After he gave her a quick kiss on the lips, he wrapped his arms around her slender body frame and squeezed her in a hug.

Daisy hugged him in return. Lightly pressing the side of her face against his chest.

Jason's heartbeat was faster than usual for the first few seconds that he held his lover, but it slowed down over time. And now his heart beat at the normal pace.

With his left hand on her back, Jason stroked her golden hair with his right hand.

Before everything that had happened on the islands, Daisy would often put her hair up into a ponytail. Sometimes she would double band her ponytail so that it shortened into a bun.

Nowadays Daisy didn't bother putting her hair up into a ponytail. She would occasionally wear a ponytail, but not often.

She usually wore her hair loose and let it dangle over her shoulders or behind her shoulders. Her hair wasn't very long, only extending about three inches past her shoulder line.

Jason liked it when she kept her hair this way. He couldn't brush her hair whenever she had a ponytail.

With her hair loose about her neck, Jason could slide his fingers through her soft and golden hair.

He gently stroked her hair as she made a pleasant sounding murmur. Daisy hummed sweetly as he held her close.

As the minutes passed by, the two soulmates remained standing there in a long and passionate embrace.

"Jason?" Daisy's tone signified a question.

"Yes Daisy." He responded, kissing her head. "What is it?"

"Tell me you love me." She commanded.

He told Daisy every single day that he loved her, so Jason didn't understand why she had asked him to say it.

This was an odd request but Jason obliged her request.

"I love you. I love you more than anything else in this world. As long as we're together, nothing else matters." He told her.

There was silence for a few moments after Jason spoke.

He continued brushing her hair. Feeling the warmth of her body right up against him.

_I could stay here holding you for the rest of my days. _

Jason felt like the luckiest man on the planet. He had the most perfect woman a guy could have.

But his happiness would not last.

_You don't belong here Jason. You don't belong with her. She belongs to Grant, not you. Come back to your real home. Come back to the temple._

"No!" Jason's outburst was in a slightly raised voice.

He was getting sick and tired of _this_ voice talking to him.

This was the worst possible time that _the voice_ could be harassing him. Today he was going to ask Daisy to marry him.

And nothing was going to stand in his way. Especially himself.

"Jason. What is it?" She asked.

Daisy had pulled her head back from Jason's chest and was staring him in the eyes.

She didn't look scared at his outburst, only concerned.

Jason had come clean about the voice that he heard in his head over a week ago. And she had not abandoned him then.

"It was _the voice_. He was trying to antagonize me." Jason said in all honesty.

There was no use in trying to hide it from Daisy anymore.

"Oh… okay." She said in a strange tone.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you by shouting out." He said apologetically.

"It's just that… well _the voice_ was trying to tell me that I need to return to the islands. And return to Citra's temple." Jason said.

He intentionally left out his antagonist telling him that Daisy didn't belong to him.

"Jason…" She started.

Her eyes trailed off to the side for a moment.

Then she returned her gaze to Jason.

She then resumed for some time. "I miss Grant _too_. Everyday I miss him. But ever since I told you about the history of my love for you, I have stopped feeling guilty over falling in love with you. Neither one of us can stand here and say _what could have happened_ or what we_ wish would have happened._ Because it _didn't_ happen that way. All I know is that we are together, and I am thankful everyday for this. I love you so, so much."

Jason was awestruck. He hadn't even mentioned Grant. But yet, Daisy had brought him up.

This wasn't coincidence.

_No, she must have heard my thoughts._

"Daisy? Did you _hear_ my thoughts?" He asked.

"I guess, I guess that I did. I _must_ have." She responded.

"Daisy…" He paused for a moment, "Do you really think that the water in that cave under Dr. Earnhardt's house, was really magical?"

She smiled at him.

"Yes I do. I could feel it whenever in dipped my feet into the water. That is why I enjoyed swimming in that pool so much. Because I could feel the _magic_ on my skin." She said.

Daisy continued. "I also felt the same way that one night that I went to clean myself off in the ocean water. Remember?"

"That night you caught me being a peeping tom? Yeah I remember." Jason grinned.

He brushed back a strand of Daisy's hair that had fallen over he face.

Jason also remembered something else peculiar about that night.

"I remember you talking to the moon. You mentioned Grant's name, like the moon was that you were talking to was a stand in for Grant." He said.

What Daisy said next surprised him, even though Jason had thought that he had heard everything possible at this point in his life.

Daisy spoke. "I heard the moon respond to me. It sound crazy, I know, but I felt a small gust of wind blow through my hair. And I heard Grant's voice."

Jason wasn't confused. He had a voice of his own inside of his head.

He thought about asking him what the voice of Grant said to her. But Jason decided that this was something that he didn't want to know. He had an idea of what Grant's voice had said to Daisy.

But Daisy broke his train of thought when she resumed speaking.

"Jason. Now that I remember that night. I don't think that It was Grant's voice that I was hearing… but _yours_."

Jason was wrong about earlier. He was surprised by what she had said. Showing that there were still some things in this world that could catch him off guard.

Confused, Jason asked. "You've lost me Daisy. What are you saying?"

"I _am_ saying…" She started, "that when you were sitting on that beach and watching me without my knowledge, I heard your thoughts. You were thinking about how you wanted revenge on Vaas and Hoyt. But you were also thinking about how much you were in love with that. When it happened, I thought that I was speaking with Grant's spirt, but now that I remember it better, it _was_ you that I was listening to. I know that it was you because you were also thinking about avenging your brother Grant."

Daisy kissed Jason on his lips. He was distracted momentarily.

She pulled away from the kiss and continued speaking.

"Grant wouldn't be able to get revenge on his own death, that wouldn't make any sense. So it had to of been you that I was listening to." She said.

Jason released his hold on Daisy's body. Overwhelmed by everything, Jason walked of to the couch and sat down.

He rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands.

Jason hadn't processed everything that had happened to him recently.

Everything…

The fact that Daisy had been in love with him even when she was still Grant's girlfriend. Himself telling Daisy about the psychotic voice in his head. The two of them discovery that they really did have some kind of mental link or connection.

And… the discussions of _magic_.

When he removed his hands away from his eyes, he saw that Daisy had sat down to the right side of him.

She held his anxious and shaking body in a strong hug. Holding him in and embrace with both of her arms curled around his torso and his upper arms.

"I'm sorry Daisy." Jason said.

He was crestfallen with everything.

All of his experiences over these days, had all come together right now at this point.

"I'm here for you. Forever, and always." His lover told him in reassurance.

Daisy gave his a fast but meaningful kiss on his cheek.

Jason smiled slightly at this. The feeling of her soft and sweet lips on his skin meant a lot to him. Even though it was a small gesture.

Jason turned his head to the right in anticipation of another one of Daisy's kisses.

And he was not disappointed.

Daisy had leaned in and gave him the most passionate kiss that he had ever received. This kiss carried Daisy's love.

He hadn't felt this much love and emotion from kissing Daisy before. That is not to say that he didn't feel anything whenever he kissed Daisy, of course he did.

But this was the first time that Jason had felt the full force of Daisy's love, passion, and energy in a single kiss.

He felt her aura course through his body. Traveling through his bloodstream, Daisy's energy reached every inch of his body.

_I know that we belong together. We are true soulmates. _

_We can hear one another's thoughts, we understand each other. _

_I love you Daisy. I love you so, so, so much. So much that it hurts when you aren't beside me. When your not with me. _

_I'm crazy mad in love with you._

_And you are in love with me._

_It is a love that no one else can ever hope to understand. Our love and our connection wouldn't make sense to the normal people._

_You are my soulmate, you are my sanity, you are my everything._

_This is the reason why. The reason why I want to marry you._

Daisy abruptly boke off her kiss with Jason. She stared at Jason with wide emerald eyes and the skin on her forehead crinkled.

"Daisy, what-what is it?" Jason asked her with a worried voice.

"You want to marry me?" Daisy had answered with a question of her own.

"What? I didn't even… how did-" Jason stopped himself halfway through his inquiry.

But then… he knew.

Of course.

She had heard his thoughts.

"You heard me thinking, didn't you?" He asked.

"I did. But I only heard the thought about you wanting to marry me. I couldn't hear whatever else you were thinking." Daisy said to him.

_I guess the cat's out of the bag now_

"I know that we've never talked about before. And neither one of us has ever shown any interest in getting married. But…" He said.

"Um-hmm?" Daisy asked. "But…"

Jason continued. "Well, I feel like now is the right time. We are closer than we were before and we are closer than any other two human beings could possibly be."

"So, what do you say?" Jason asked, sounding hopeful.

Jason got up from the couch and walked to Daisy's side.

He got down on his knee.

As he reached into his pocket to pull out the ring box, Daisy was smiling at him.

Daisy put her right hand to her chest and stretched out her left hand to point in Jason's direction.

He had gotten down on one knee. He was nervous for a short second, but that feeling passed

About to propose, he smiled at her first.

Jason looked into Daisy's emerald green eyes.

Jason had pulled out the black ring box. He held it in both hands, displaying the black velvet exterior of the box.

Jason opened the box. Exhibiting to Daisy the ring that matched her eyes.

And then, Jason asked Daisy the most important question.

"Daisy… Will you marry me?"

* * *

/

(To Be Continued)

Review this chapter however you want.

**A/N:** The next chapter will be the first in the beginning of the adventure to the Rook Islands.


	10. Chapter 10: Terminal Departure

Chapter 10: {_Terminal Departure_}

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(Three Months Later)

"Come on Daisy, we don't want to miss our flight." Jason said trying to catch Daisy's attention.

They were inside the gift shop of the Los Angeles airport.

The airport gift shop was full of snacks and tourist trash. Mostly cheap Chinese and Indian made souvenirs.

One of those cheap souvenirs had caught Daisy's eye.

Daisy was standing by a revolving display of cheap jewelry.

"Look Jason." Daisy said.

She was beckoning Jason to come over to her by gesturing with her hand.

"What is it?" Jason asked as he walked up beside Daisy.

Daisy had her hands on the sides of the display.

Jason wrapped his left arm around her back. His left hand was holding onto her skinny left shoulder.

"I really like this necklace. It think that it's kind of cute." She said.

"Really? You _really_ want that necklace?" Jason asked her.

Daisy lifted the necklace that she really liked off of the display and held it in both of her hands.

She turned herself around so that she was facing Jason.

Jason took a step back from Daisy so that he could better see the necklace that she was holding up.

"I know that it is just cheap junk, but for some reason I like it. I am not sure why, but I think it's really cute." She said.

With her hands extended, Daisy showed the necklace to Jason.

The necklace was a made out of a stainless steel frame the outlined shape of a dolphin. The dolphin was made out of translucent blue plastic.

The translucent blue plastic was an attempt to make the dolphin resemble a rare and colorful blue gemstone.

It had a passing resemblance to a sapphire stone. But it was only plastic.

The blue dolphin was looped around a stainless steel chain. The thin stainless steel chain had a small metal clasp which allowed it to be taken on or off the neck of the person wearing it.

"What do you think Jason? Should I buy it?" Daisy asked.

Jason didn't know what he should say to her.

She had admitted to him that she knew that all the necklace was, is just a cheap gift shop gimmick. But she also told him that she likes it all the same.

Always wanting Daisy to be happy, Jason knew what he was going to tell her.

"I think that if you really like it, then we should get it for you. After all it is not very expensive." He said.

Daisy gave Jason a child like smile.

"Okay Jason." She started. "I'm going to buy it."

Jason was filled with amazement as he looked into Daisy's emerald eyes.

She looked like a little girl who was excited that her parents were buying her toy or stuffed animal that she saw in the gift shop.

_That is one of the many things that I love about her. _

_She is such a strong woman, and yet she is still filled with a childlike sense of wonder. _

_Daisy can always find the good things in this world, regardless of how small some of those things are._

_She is the type of woman that makes life worth living._

_Me and Daisy may have ended up together as the result of some unfortunate circumstances. _

_If things had gone differently, we may not of ever found each other. _

_But that isn't how things went down. _

_I can't live in the world of 'what could have been'. Because that's not the world that exists. _

_I Live in the world were I ended up falling in love with Daisy. _

_We are in love, and we're together._

_That's all that matters. _

_That's the only thing in this world that matters to me._

"Wait Daisy." Jason stopped her.

"Let me buy it for you." He said.

As Jason was reaching his hand into his back pocket to pull out his wallet, Daisy moved up close to him.

Full of excitement, Daisy leaned in and kissed Jason full upon the lips.

Although it was only a short kiss, it meant everything to him.

"Thank you so much Jason." She said all giddy. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you."

"Oh, don't mention it… really." Jason said with a cheesy grin.

Jason walked up to the counter and paid the cashier. As he was standing in front of the counter, Daisy had walked up next to him and gave him a long hug.

Her hug lasted the duration of the purchase. After the man behind the cash register handed Jason's credit card back to him, Jason handed the necklace to Daisy.

She held the necklace in one hand. Daisy hooked her arm under Jason's arm, and they walked arm in arm out of the gift shop.

Once they were outside the gift shop, Daisy let go of Jason's arm. She put the necklace on. The blue dolphin hung right over her chest.

"Okay, I'm ready. Let's go." She said.

In perfect timing, the announcer on the intercom reported;

"_Flight 723 to Honolulu. Final call for boarding in 15 minutes"_

"That's our plane." Jason started. "Come on we got to get going."

Jason reached out his right hand for Daisy to take a hold of.

Daisy then gripped Jason's hand with her slender left hand. Her thin fingers interlocked with his.

Before the two of them entered the long hallway of the terminal, Jason wanted to make sure that Daisy was all right.

Jason turned his head to the side to look at Daisy.

Daisy turned her head as well to look at Jason, as if on instinct.

In a serious tone Jason asked, "Daisy… are you _sure_ you want to do this?"

For a moment, Daisy didn't respond. Instead she looked down at the carpeted floor.

She reached her right foot out a few inches in front of her, and twisted it back and forth on the floor for a few seconds. Then she pulled her foot back.

"I am sure. I believe that there are things that we still need to know about the islands, about ourselves. And I think that the only way that we can get those answers to go back." Daisy said.

Daisy then lifted up their conjoined hands, and place her right hand over the top of both of their hands.

She gave a gentle squeeze with her right hand.

"Don't worry Jason." Daisy reassured him. "I don't think that we'll run into any trouble. The islands are safe these days, so we should be okay."

Jason looked away for a second, down at the floor.

The two of them had been able to convince their respective bosses' to allow them to have two consecutive weeks off work. Neither one of them would be paid, as it was not a work vacation.

But they both had enough money in their savings to be well off if they weren't paid for two weeks.

He turned his head back towards Daisy when he felt her kiss his hand.

Her soft lips gave him all the assurance that he needed.

"Plus, I will have you there along side me. I know that you won't let anything bad happen to me." Daisy said.

"You're my hero Jason, my protector." Daisy smiled at him.

Her green eyes shimmered, reflecting the bright lights of the airport's interior.

Jason couldn't help but smile at her comment.

"I want you to know that I will always be there to protect you and keep you safe. The very thought of losing you is too much for me to bear." He told Daisy with a voice filled with emotion.

Jason let go of Daisy's hand and moved in close to her. So close that Daisy's breasts almost came into contact with his chest.

He lightly held Daisy's head in his hands. His thumbs were in front of her ears.

Time stood still as the two lovers kissed each other. Jason couldn't have said how long the amount of time was that their kiss lasted.

Neither one of them paid any mind to the people walking by them. Or the onlookers who looked them kissing as they sat on the benches, waiting for their flight to be announced over the intercom.

It couldn't have been longer than a minute.

Daisy and Jason pulled away from their kiss at exactly the same moment, due to their mental connection.

They both sensed that it was time to end the kiss.

"I love you so much Daisy." Jason said.

He was still holding her head in his hands.

In a serious tone Daisy said. "I love you too Jason. And I am glad that you decided to go on this adventure with me. Thank you."

"There isn't anywhere in this world where I'd rather be than by your side." He said.

The two of them proceeded to walk down to the terminal. They held hands the whole way down.

Daisy and Jason's luggage had already been loaded onto the plane. All except for one large gym bag. Jason had the duffle bag slung over his shoulder the whole time they had been in the airport.

The duffle bag wasn't very heavy.

The two of them only owned two suitcases to split between them. Both suitcases were rather large, but still they had only packed what they needed.

Jason's duffle bag was filled with toiletries and other miscellaneous items.

Including several thousand dollars in cash.

The Rook Islands are still underdeveloped and primitive in some of the remote places. So, credit cards would be useless outside of the developed and urban areas.

But even the natives in the poor villages, would accept cash.

They had walked in silence the whole way down. Both of them were content to just enjoy the time they had together.

Jason couldn't see Daisy's face, as he was keeping his eyes in front of him. But he knew that Daisy was smiling the whole time.

He just knew it.

/

It was about ten minutes later when Jason and Daisy had found their seats on the plane.

Their destination was an airport in Honolulu. The plane that they were on would stop there.

After they exited the plane, Jason and Daisy would then hop onto a different plane.

That plane would be heading to Indonesia. The two of them had already bought the tickets online ahead on of time.

They also made sure that they landed in the airport that was closest to the Rook Islands.

From there, they would take an island hoping ferry, which traveled back and forth between the airport island and the southern most island in the Rook Islands archipelago.

The southernmost island would be one that Jason and Daisy had never visited.

Jason had spent time on two of the three main large islands of the archipelago. This southernmost island wasn't in as close proximity to the other two islands.

This island was also more civilized and developed by a large margin. And it hadn't suffered nearly as bad from the pirate scourge a few years ago.

But once the ferry brought them to the southernmost island, Jason would find a local fisherman and pay the fisherman to take himself and Daisy to the northernmost island.

The island with the cave.

And, the island with the Temple.

Jason hoped that this little vacation was not a fool's errand.

He also hoped that they wouldn't encounter any danger.

* * *

/

(Several Hours Later)

They were sitting on the left side of the plane.

Daisy had taken the seat next to the window. And Jason was sitting in the seat next to the aisle in between the middle row of seats.

The two of them had been talking for hours. They were trying to pass the time.

The topics that they had conversed about had been a multitude of random things. They never stayed on one single topic of discussion for very long.

They talked mainly about the pleasant things in their lives.

But some of the negative things had come up occasionally in their conversation.

But that had been a few hours ago.

Right now though, Daisy had fallen asleep. Her head resting upon Jason's shoulder.

She had told Jason that she wanted to take a break from talking, just for a few minutes she said. But she fell fast asleep.

As Jason had looked out the airplane window, he noticed that it was nighttime outside.

The pilot had announced over the intercom that the plane would be landing in Honolulu in about forty five minutes.

Jason could see lights coming from the ground several thousand feet below. So Jason knew that they had reached the Hawaiian Islands, and the long journey over the vast and empty expanse of the Pacific Ocean was over.

At least for now. They would fly over the ocean again very soon.

The empty ocean would be the only sight on the way to Indonesia.

Jason had his right arm clutched around Daisy's back. His left hand was stroking her hair.

Daisy was a very light sleeper, and yet she was out cold right now.

Usually, Jason running his fingers through Daisy's hair would have probably caused her to wake up.

But for whatever reason she was in a deep sleep.

Maybe it was the shift in time zones, or because it was dark outside the window. Or maybe she was just exhausted from talking for so long.

Or…

Maybe Daisy felt safe in Jason's arms.

And she knows that she can sleep peacefully with her protector and hero, Jason, watching over her sleeping body.

Suddenly, Daisy had reached out her right arm and wrapped it around Jason's torso. She hummed as she did this.

She was awake for only a moment. And then went back to sleep.

Jason tilted his head sideways so that it rested on top of Daisy's head.

The warmth of her head and body felt nice to Jason.

As He held his lover securely in his arms, Jason listened to the ambience inside of the airplane.

He could hear a few distant conversations, although he couldn't make out what was being said in any of the conversations.

He could hear faint footsteps. Someone was probably getting up to go to the restroom.

A service cart then pulled up alongside Jason.

A flight stewardess in her early forties, who was pretty good looking for her age, looked over at Jason.

Jason lifted his right hand carefully off of Daisy's body and slightly waved it at the woman. Indicating that the two of them didn't need anything.

The stewardess shifted her eyes to look at Daisy. She noticed that Daisy was asleep, and that Jason didn't want to wake her.

The woman then looked over at Jason and he silently mouthed out the words "_no_ _thank you_".

The stewardess courteously smiled at the couple in their late twenties, and proceeded on with her routine path to check on the other passengers.

Time had gone by fast as Jason held his lover in his embrace.

The entire universe consisted of only Jason and Daisy in his arms.

But as the pilot announced that they would be landing in fifteen minutes, Jason snapped out of it and returned to reality.

Jason started to fidget slightly to try and wake up Daisy.

When that didn't work, he shook the shoulder that Daisy was resting her head on.

At first he shook his body gently, but he steadily increased his shaking until he noticed Daisy beginning to wake up.

Daisy moaned as she lifted herself up. She rubbed her eyes and then looked at Jason's face.

Smiling, Jason said. "Hey sleepy head. You slept through the entire vacation, we are already on the flight heading back to Santa Monica."

Daisy scoffed at his sarcasm, she then rubbed her eyes again.

"Oh… ha-ha." Daisy responded with some sarcasm of her own.

She smirked and playfully punched Jason on the shoulder.

Seeing that Daisy was in an unserious mood, Jason pretended to be hurt by her punch.

"Oh, ouch." He said jokingly. "I don't see why you needed me to tag along with you. You are _obviously_ tough enough to take care of yourself."

"Your right, I'm badass enough to take care of myself, but I had to drag you along with me because I knew that you would be lost if I left you behind." Daisy said still joking.

She continued her banter. "Without me, you would go crazy."

Daisy intended for her words to be taken in a joking manner.

But Jason felt his smile vanish from his face.

Her words had been light hearted, but Jason saw the truth in them.

"Your right Daisy." He said solemnly. "I need you in my life. You are my sanity."

Jason looked down at the floor.

"Jason, I was just kidding around." Daisy said. She must have sensed that Jason had been disturbed by her words.

_I am crazy. At least I'd go crazy without you._

_I hope that we stay together forever. _

_I hope that you stay with me forever._

_Please don't ever leave me._

"Jason, I'm never going to abandon you. I love you too much. I want to be with you for the rest of my life as well." She said.

Jason hadn't spoken out loud.

He lifted his eyes up and looked into Daisy's green eyes.

"Daisy how did you-" He began to ask. But then he remembered.

"Oh yeah, that's right." He started. "I forgot that you can hear what I'm thinking sometimes."

Daisy gave him a weak smile. And then she rubbed his head with her left hand.

"Jason, we are going find a way to help you. We will find it together." She told him reassuringly.

Daisy pulled his head down closer to her so that she could kiss the top of his head.

"We will. Okay Jason? We _will_." Daisy said after she kissed his head.

Her words had meant a lot to Jason. And he started to feel better about himself.

Only a little better.

"Okay Daisy." He said in a defeated tone.

"Maybe this will help." She said.

And then Daisy pulled his face into hers and gave him a kiss.

It did help.

This was the best kiss of Jason's life. It wasn't to most passionate or the most romantic kiss that she had ever given him.

But, it was the best.

This kiss made Jason feel alive.

All of his pain and worries fled from his body. Being replaced by joy, hope, and love.

The love that he was feeling was the most important thing of all.

_If magic is real, we will find it._

_We'll find it together._

_We will have some answers to everything soon enough._

_At least…_

_I hope so…_

* * *

/

(To Be Continued)

Review however you want if you like or whatever.


	11. Chapter 11: Sweet Dreams, Bad Nightmares

**A/N: **Off Screen Sex Scene.

Chapter 11: {_Sweet Dreams, Bad Nightmares_}

* * *

/

(Two Days Later)

"What is it that you are looking at out the window?" Jason asked Daisy.

They arrived in Indonesia after their flight departed from Honolulu. They had left Honolulu around midnight, just an hour after they had landed.

Once they arrived on the large Indonesian island, they took the ferry ride to the southernmost Rook Island.

This island was the biggest of the three Rook Islands. And it was larger than the other two islands put together.

Both Jason and Daisy were surprised at how nice the southernmost island was. In comparison to the other two islands, this island was like a whole other world.

The main town on the island was upscale and modernized, with paved roads, traffic lights, department stores, a police station, hospital, and everything else that a modern city would have.

This island had a decent amount of tourists that vacationed here every year. Mostly people from New Zealand and Australia, but a few Americans and Canadians visited as well.

There was a large stone fort built by one of the European colonial powers, either the Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, or the British in the late 1500's or early 1600's, but Jason couldn't remember which country had built it.

There was also an old Spanish Catholic mission church, and a few other European built sites on this island.

The island's name was what the natives called "Big Island" in their own tongue. And English speakers just called it Big Island, to distinguish it from North Rook and South Rook.

The name "South Rook" was a bit of misnomer, as it was actually the central island in the Rook Islands archipelago. But since the southernmost island was four times larger that the other two islands put together, it made since to call it Big Island.

The hotel that they were staying in surprisingly nice and well maintained. It was nicer than the hotel that Jason and his friends stayed in after they escaped. _That_ hotel hadn't been located in the Rook Islands, but on another Indonesian island.

Their hotel room was on the eleventh-story of the fifteen-story hotel.

Both of them decided together that they would stay on Big Island for one more day, and then they would find a boat to take them to North Rook.

"Just at the ocean. I like watching the waves." Daisy responded to Jason, not turning around.

The window was closed, and Daisy had her elbows resting up on the window seal. She held her head up with her hands.

She wore only one piece of clothing. One of Jason's t-shirt. The shirt was long enough that it covered Daisy's bare breasts and the top of her private area.

"I bet that you want to go swimming in that ocean, don't you?" Jason had inquired with a grin.

Although, Daisy couldn't see him because she still had her back turned to him. But he smiled regardless.

"Eh… maybe later." She started. "I don't feel up to swimming right now."

"You sure?" He asked her.

Jason had been laying on their queen-sized bed, casually attired in only his boxers a white t-shirt. He moved over to the side of the bed and got onto his feet, walking over to stand next to Daisy.

He resumed. "If you want to go down to the beach, I will come with you."

Daisy was too focused on watching the ocean waves, and must not have heard him speak.

Jason had moved up close. He was standing behind her.

In a flash, he wrapped his arms around her.

Daisy must have been totally obvlivious to Jason's presence, as her body jumped in a startled manner when his arms gripped around her body.

Jason noticed this. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I startle you?"

"Yeah." Daisy giggled. "You kind of did. But it's fine Jason. I'm fine."

She removed her elbows from the window seal and gently leaned her body back into Jason's chest. She then tenderly gripped Jason's forearms with her hands.

"I didn't intend to startle you. I only wanted to hold you." Jason said.

"And I want _you_ to hold _me_." Daisy replied.

Jason could sense that Daisy had her mind preoccupied with something.

"Daisy…" he started, pausing for a brief second.

Jason continued. "Tell me what's on you mind. If it is something bad, then let me help you. The same way that you help me with all of my bad thoughts."

When she didn't respond right away, Jason became worried.

It was less than ten seconds, but the momentary silence was dreadful for Jason to endure.

_Maybe I'm just expecting the worst. Maybe I'm overreacting. _

_I still don't know what she is going to say._

_It might not be so bad. _

_Just relax, I just need to relax._

"I was only wondering…" Daisy began to speak but paused again.

She then resumed. "Do you think that we _really_ need to return to that island? I mean, maybe it was just a stupid whim that I had. What if there isn't anything worth seeing again on that island? What if there isn't any magic and that cave was just a regular cave?"

Jason took Daisy's words to heart. And she was making sense.

Jason wondered himself if this trip had been a folly.

But deep down in his heart, he did believe that there was something magical about those islands.

True, Jason had been given hallucinogenic mushrooms at various times by the local Rakyat charlatan shaman, and had tripped on them. But there where still some things that had happened to him on those islands that couldn't be explained by drugs or mushrooms.

But when he _wasn't_ under the influence of hallucinogens, he did see some strange things that could only be explained by magic.

After a moment of contemplating, Jason responded honestly to Daisy's question.

"I haven't ever lied to you, and I won't lie now." He began. "We may not find what we are seeking on this little adventure."

He kissed her neck.

"But I do believe that there is something supernatural about these islands, and I hope that we can get some answers." He said.

Wanting to look Daisy in her eyes as he said the next part, he took his hands and tenderly gripped her small shoulders.

Jason twirled Daisy around so that they were face to face with each other. Their eyes locked onto on another.

"All we can do is try. Try… together." He said to her with such a soft and tender voice.

In a split second, Jason thought to lean in and kiss Daisy.

But as soon as the thought entered his mind, Daisy had beaten him to the punch.

As if she had read his mind, she raised up her head and gave Jason a full and passionate kiss upon his lips.

_Did she read my mind? Did she know that I was just about to kiss her. _

_Or maybe she was planning on kissing me also._

Jason decided not to dwell on that thought. As it didn't matter much.

As long as their lips touched… nothing else mattered.

During their kiss, Daisy had wiggled her wet and eager tongue inside of Jason's mouth.

Not wanting to be outdone by Daisy, in his own act of passion, Jason met Daisy's tongue with his own.

As he did this, Daisy moaned quietly but just loud enough to be on the edge of hearing.

Jason broke off their kiss as he pulled his lips away.

With a grin, he quickly lifted up Daisy in his arms.

Daisy's sweet laughter filled his ears as he raised her off of her feet.

Jason cradled his lover in his arms as if she was weightless. He didn't know where this strength had come from.

Sure, Daisy was a skinny woman, but as he was holding her in his arms, it felt like she weighed only a few pounds. Just like holding a puppy.

But she was a grown woman.

And yet Jason held her up off the floor in his arms for well over a minute without feeling any onset of fatigue.

After her giggling was over, Daisy and Jason resumed their kissing.

For well over a minute Jason continued to cradle her in his arms. His muscles _not_ struggling in the least.

Jason pulled his lips back. "Even if this little trip of ours ends in failure, I am glad that we will have had this little vacation."

And then Jason let out a short laugh.

"It's _almost_ like we're a _normal_ couple." He joked.

He hoped that Daisy would interpret what he just said as a joke, or at least an attempt at a joke.

To his relief, Daisy did laugh.

"Well, I prefer to be with you more than some boring old "_average joe_". She said with glistening emerald eyes.

Jason began to feel the long overdue fatigue in his muscles from holding Daisy for such a long time.

"Speaking of old." Jason began to speak but paused to lower Daisy to the floor.

Her bare feet touched the scratchy carpeted floor of their hotel room.

He grunted. "I don't think that I could've held you up much longer."

"You are right." Daisy smiled mischievously. "You are and old man. At least, you sound like an old man, the way that you're struggling to catch your breath."

Jason scoffed.

"Hey I'm not much older… wait no, I mean-" Jason realized something.

"Daisy? How old are you?" Jason's facial expression must have been a sight to see.

_How the hell do I not know how old my soulmate is?_

_I know what day her birthday is._

_But I can't remember how old she is?_

_What the hell?_

"Sorry Daisy. For some reason I completely forgot how old you are. I now way day your birthday is on, but I can't remember how old you will be." Jason said just a half second later.

Daisy scoffed with a partial smile as she rolled her eyes at him. Jason could tell that she wasn't upset with him.

She put her skinny hands on both sides of his face.

"I'm twenty seven." She said as she playfully pinched his cheeks. "Silly, you know that."

_That's right, she's about half a year younger than me._

_She seems much older than twenty seven._

_And at the same time, she seems much younger than twenty seven._

"Oh yeah." He said. "I know that your birthday is in a month. Is there anything special that you want?"

Daisy hesitated in responding.

_I know what she really wants._

_She wants me to not be crazy anymore._

"Yes." Daisy said.

"Okay then." Jason said as he was putting his hands on Daisy's hips.

She took her hands off of his face, and laid them overtop of his hands as they gripped her hips.

"What is it that you want?" Jason asked, staring into her eyes.

Daisy smirked. "Well… that's a secret. But I hope that you figure it out."

"Oh, how immature of you Daisy." He teased.

He pulled her in close to him. So close to him that her breasts were lightly pressed up against his chest.

He felt Daisy's nipples poke his torso. Since she wasn't wearing a bra, the thin t-shirt that she wore provided little barrier between her nipples and Jason.

"You got to start acting your age, you're going to be an old woman in a month." He gave her a jovial grin.

"Oh really? So you are wanting be in love with an old woman then?" She returned, with a smile.

Jason continued their little game. "That's right, I _will_ be in love with an old woman."

"Oh? So I'm an old woman now?" She asked playfully.

Daisy took several steps backwards.

"So then tell me then…" Daisy requested as she lifted up the t-shirt, throwing it across the room where it landed over the back of a chair.

All of the lights were turned off in their hotel room. They had been allowing the natural light of the mid-day sun to enter their suite through the window. Which gave their room a dim illumination, but enough light to see.

But Jason didn't need very much light at all to make out the figure of Daisy's completely nude figure.

"Do I look like an old woman now?" Daisy asked with a smile.

Jason's eyes looked over her entire body. From top to bottom.

He started with her head. Jason reveled in staring at her golden blonde hair and her green eyes.

His eyes trailed lower, looking at her slender neck.

Eventually his eyes met her bare breasts. Daisy didn't have very large breasts.

They weren't nearly as large as Jason remembered Liza's breasts being.

But he didn't want to think about his ex-girlfriend's large breasts.

He looked down her slender figure.

Her lower torso was slightly muscular, although her toned muscles weren't visible, Jason could feel her toned abdomen whenever he held her body.

And finally, Jason's lowered his gaze to Daisy's womanhood. Her extremely short and blonde pubic hair was barely visible in the dim light of their hotel room.

Her slender hips and small but shapely buttocks complemented her small framed body very well.

Jason loved her gorgeous body and her naked skin. But Daisy's personality and her spirit are what he loves the most about her.

A lot of men only care about the exterior beauty of a woman. They will only fixate on a woman's outward beauty; how large her breasts are, her body type, how pretty her face is.

But Jason wasn't like most men.

He knew that overtime, Daisy's beautiful features will fade and age. As will his own.

Youthful beauty is not something that men should care for. As good looks don't last forever.

But personality and inner beauty will endure the test of time.

And Daisy's inner beauty was something that Jason would cherish for the rest of his life.

A few seconds after Daisy discarded the t-shirt and became completely nude, Jason answered her question.

"I think that you look like a beautiful woman. Forever and always." He grinned.

He took a few steps forward towards Daisy.

Now he was close enough for his hands to run across her skin.

Her warm and naked skin proved to be irresistible to Jason's hands, as her lightly stoked the sides of her lower torso.

"Daisy…" He began. Stopping momentarily to lower his hands to her hips.

He resumed. "You will always be the most beautiful woman in the world, not matter what you look like on the outside. Everyday that I am with… you make me the happiest man in the world."

Daisy then pulled Jason's face in close, and passionately began to make out with him. Her wet and eager lips met his in an explosion of passion.

Daisy broke off the kiss. "Why don't you come over to the bed and show me how much you love me?"

"I do as you command." Jason said sarcastically.

The pair of lovers made their way over to their queen-sized bed.

* * *

/

(A Few Minutes Later)

Both of them were laying nude on top of the bed.

With the hotel air conditioning on full blast, Daisy and Jason had to find the warmth of their bodies pressed tightly together.

The two of them were discussing the strange thing that had happened.

"I feel embarrassed about what I did. That hasn't ever happened to me before." Jason expressed to Daisy.

He was resting his head on top of Daisy's chest as he laid next to her left side. The sound of her soft heart beating provided him with some comfort.

Jason desperately hoped that Daisy wouldn't look at him as any less of a man.

After a moment of awkward silence passed, Daisy spoke up.

"Jason, I want you to know, that I don't think any less of you. And you shouldn't feel so bad about yourself. You aren't the first guy that this has happened to." She said as she ran her fingers through his hair.

Jason assumed that the tone in her voice was an attempt to reassure him that she didn't think any less of him.

"Daisy…" he began, trying to convert his thoughts into words.

He continued. "Daisy, when I… when I was licking you… I could _feel_ exactly what you were feeling. The pleasure that you were experiencing, I was experiencing it at the same time."

"What are you saying? I'm not really sure that I follow you." Daisy responded puzzled.

_How can I describe the feeling that I had? _

_When Daisy climaxed, it made me cum at the same time. _

_I could feel her orgasm._

_As if it was my own._

Jason tried to explain again. "I made you cum didn't I? I felt like I brought you to orgasm. You know that I can always give you an orgasm."

Jason ran his palm along Daisy's abdomen, feeling her soft and tight skin layered over her toned core.

"Yes, I did." She confirmed.

And then she asked him a follow up question. "So you are saying that feel my climax yourself, and that is what made you ejaculate?"

"Yes! Exactly. Our magic connection between our minds allowed me to experience your sensations." Jason responded, glad that Daisy finally understood.

When it had happened, Jason had felt embarrassed.

Minutes earlier, Daisy had been spreading her legs wide apart as she sat on the end of their hotel bed.

Jason offered up no objection to her wishes, and proceeded to perform oral sex on her.

As several minutes went by, Jason knew that Daisy was close to climaxing. He could sense it.

But then something strange started to happen throughout Jason's entire body.

His penis coursed with sensation, as if it was being pleasurably touched.

As soon as Daisy began climaxed, Jason had unconsciously ejaculated. His semen landed on the blanket hanging over the end of the bed.

Jason had felt so embarrassed when he told Daisy. He had told her moments after she had her orgasm.

Jason continued. "I haven't ever felt anything like that before. Never before in all of the times that we've made love." He continued to glide his hand over her flat and smooth abdomen.

After a few seconds of silence, Daisy reached down with her right hand and laid it overtop of Jason's hand. His hand was now trapped between the soft skin of Daisy's abdomen and her hand.

Jason enjoyed the warm feeling of her skin on his hand.

"Jason…" She began, pausing momentarily to pull Jason's left hand up to her face.

With her hand guiding his, Daisy ran Jason's palm across her cheek.

"Maybe our magical connection is stronger because we're closer to the cave, and… we are closer to the temple." Daisy rationalized to Jason.

She then lowered his hand to her mouth and kissed the tops of his knuckles. And then, for a few seconds, Daisy kissed and sensually sucked on the stub where his left ring finger used to be.

He hadn't considered this factor.

Daisy proved that she more than capable of being very perceptive. Jason was always being continually amazed at Daisy's wisdom. Another one of the reasons for why he was in love with her.

"Smart and beautiful." Jason whispered quietly to himself.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you very well." Daisy said.

Jason raised himself up and rotated his body so that he was looking at Daisy's face. He laid his head on top of her warm belly.

Jason looked into her eyes. "Oh nothing. I just said that you were smart… _and_ beautiful."

She responded to his complement with a silent smile.

Jason could feel her love as she looked at him.

He twisted his head sideways, and kissed the smooth skin on her belly.

The way that her skin tasted would have been hard for Jason to try and describe. Her skin was sweet, but not in the way that sugar and candies are.

In truth, her skin had the same flavor as it always did. But because it was Daisy's skin, I tasted sweet to Jason.

Almost as sweet tasting as her lips are whenever they are pressed passionately against Jason's mouth.

"Umm… that feels nice." Daisy purred. A relaxed sigh escaped from her mouth.

Jason then stuck his tongue in Daisy's bellybutton and very lightly wiggled it in a teasing manner. This prompted Daisy to shiver very subtly.

"Heh-heh… that tickles." Daisy giggled.

Next, Jason dragged his tongue, very slowly, along the length of her belly. With his tongue, he could feel goosebumps arise from her skin.

His tongue stopped just short of the area between Daisy's breasts.

Jason had many thoughts race through his head.

_You are perfect in every single way imaginable._

_I love you. _

_You make me feel human again. You pulled me out of my dark place that I had been living in. You gave me back my sanity, after I had lost it. _

_You were the only one who told me that I wasn't a monster, that I could change. When I look at you, I am reminded that there is always another way._

_A better way. _

_You shine as my example. You show me that there is still some goodness left in the world. All I have to do is look for it. _

_I don't know if there was another way that I could have saved you and the others. Violence seemed to be only possible path that I could choose. _

_But all of that is in the past now. _

_I will never kill again. _

_I promise you._

_I want to be better._

_A better friend, a better brother, a better lover._

_A better Jason._

_Sometimes I dream of horrible things. Sometimes I remember the horrible thing that I did. Sometimes, as I dream, I see some of the people that I've killed._

_Their faces are so real. _

_My psychological problems have gotten better over the few years that we have been together. If I didn't have you by my side, I very much doubt that I could have kept any of my sanity. _

_Talking with you helps me. _

_When I talk with Liza that helps too. I am happy that she has become friendly with me again._

_For a long time, I thought that I wasn't ever going to reconcile with her. _

_But fate is an ironic beast. She went from my girlfriend, to my ex-girlfriend that hated me, to my best friend. _

_But it's you I'm in love with. _

_Forever…_

Jason removed his tongue from Daisy's skin and laid his head back down on Daisy's belly.

A tired feeling began to creep its way through Jason's body, and he yawned.

"Daisy, I'm feeling kind of sleepy. What about you?" Jason yawned a second time.

Daisy responded. "Not now, you got me all _excited_."

Daisy gave a short and quiet laugh.

"I think that your body has rested up long enough."

She gently stroked his hair. "Don't you want to try and make love again?"

He wanted to in truth, but he was just to sleepy to try just yet.

"Yes I do, but not right now. Right now I think that I will take a quick nap. When I wake up… I will be ready. I hope that's okay with you." He inquired.

She gave him an understanding smile. "Okay. I'll wait for you."

"Thanks. I… *_yawn_*… won't be asleep too long." He said. Barely awake.

Before he completely dozed off, he thought it proper to give Daisy a kiss first.

He slightly moved his body down, and kissed the top of her pubic arch. His lips came in touch with her short blonde pubic hair, her bristles were so warm.

After his quick kiss, he turned his head back towards his lover's face.

Jason laid his head on top of where he had just finished kissing. His left ear laying on top of her pubic hair, feeling so warm against his face.

Jason momentarily lifted his head as Daisy leaned back up against the wooden back of their bed. After she was realigned, Jason laid his head back in her lap.

His consciousness began to fade as he crossed the barrier separating the real world and the dream world.

His paramour stroked his head as he closed his eyes.

As he was resting his head on top of Daisy's warm thighs, it only took half a minute for Jason to fall asleep.

The last thing he heard before he fell asleep, was Daisy saying; "_I love you_."

Sleep overcame his body…

* * *

/

~_Jason's Dream_~

Jason was standing outside of the temple that Citra had resided in. Her former seat of power.

It was night time outside. The only light that pierced the darkness, was the full moon and the fire from several torches off to the side of the walkway. They lit the pathway to the temple.

Jason could sense something unsettling. As if something awful was about to happen.

He wanted to move, to run away. But his feet disobeyed his willpower.

Suddenly, he witnessed a figure emerge from the archway entrance to the temple. Although it was too dark to see who the person was.

Jason feet were firmly planted in place. He wanted to wake up, to rid himself of this dream. But he couldn't wake up, despite his overwhelming willingness to do just that.

He franticly turned his head from side to side, looking for… he didn't know what.

A way to escape? Something to use as a weapon?

Even if he found what he was looking for, his feet wouldn't let him move.

"You have to choose!" The unrecognizable figure proclaimed loudly, causing Jason to freeze.

The voice of the dark figure was filled with darkness and horror.

Jason wanted to speak, but he was unable to formulate the words that he wished to say.

Silence engulfed his dreamworld for several moments.

But the quiet silence wasn't to last.

"Who are you really Jason?" The dark figure asked in a taunting tone of voice, and shattering the silence.

Jason then cut to the chase. "What the hell do you want? Tell me who you are! Tell me!"

The dark figure responded, but didn't acknowledge Jason's pleas for answers.

"You _are_ going to decide your identity tonight." The dark figure said.

A bright light emerged out of the corner of Jason's eyes. Jason turned his eyes downwards.

His Rakyat tattoo on his left arm was glowing in a bright yellow illumination. The shining rays were nearly blindingly bright.

Jason was forced to close his eyes, as he couldn't stand to piercing rays of the light emerging from his arm. Though, this proved to be of little protection from the light.

The light was so bright that it even penetrated Jason's eyelids. Although the light wasn't nearly as bright with his eyes closed.

The brightness began dimming down until it vanished altogether.

Jason was now able to open his eyes without the pain of having blinding rays shine in his face.

As he opened his eyes, he saw that he had somehow transported inside the temple.

And something else was amiss.

He looked down to see that his hands were crossed at the wrists and were tied securely with scratchy twine rope.

"How did I get inside?!" He asked in loud and aggravated shout. No one responded to him though.

Desperate to understand his current situation, Jason furiously rotated his head to scan his surroundings.

He saw about a dozen, or maybe a few more, Rakyat warriors standing at attention inside the temple's courtyard. Chinese Kalashnikovs and shotguns were being held in their grips as they eyed Jason cautiously. It was clear that they were ready to leap into action if Jason resisted or caused them any trouble.

Terror gripped Jason's heart, as he suddenly realized what was going on.

He had lived through this scene before.

Years ago, his friends had been captured by Citra's Rakyat goons, and taken as hostages to the temple.

But this time… there was only one of his friends tied up.

The one that he was in love with.

"Daisy… no!" He exclaimed.

"Let her go!" Jason commanded in a desperate plea.

These Rakyat goons had recreated that dreadful night.

As Daisy had her hands bound, and was latched onto an old rusted iron ornament that was being used _ad hoc_ as something to hang objects from.

They had given her enough rope so that her feet touched the stony floor, though the rope left her arms raised up in an inescapable position.

Jason stood still. Paralyzed with fear.

The outfit that Daisy was wearing had been the exact same one she wore years ago, on these same islands. She was attired in her pale purple tank top, and her worn out blue jeans. Her hair had been done in the same way as it was back then; bundled up into a double ponytail, twisted up into a bun on top of her head.

She even wore her yellow bandana around her left wrist. It had been Grant's bandana in truth, and Daisy had kept in around her wrist as a memento to remember him by.

During the time of everyone's misadventures on the Rook Islands, Daisy kept Grant's bandana tied around her wrist, not taking it off once.

As Daisy had explained to Jason not too long ago, she _did_ love Grant. Problematically for her however, Daisy was also simultaneously _in love_ with her boyfriend's brother, Jason.

Unfortunately, she had lost it when Jay's pirates had kidnaped her from the escape boat. It might have fallen off her arm when she had been yanked off of the escape boat.

Or maybe when those pieces of shit bastard brigands had stripped off all of Daisy's clothes and leaving her tied up and completely naked.

After they had forced Jason to rape Daisy, the two of them had to escape, and they didn't have any extra time to waste looking around for her bandana.

Two Rakyat thugs grabbed a hold of Jason's upper arms, and forcibly pulled him along up the path and up to the steps of the slight raised stone platform.

While being dragged up closer to Daisy, Jason was to panicked to protest the Rakyat pulling him along.

The two Rakyat thugs threw Jason down at the foot of the steps. The pain felt real, as Jason threw up his hands and arms to stop his face from slamming into the hard stone.

He was now only about ten feet from Daisy.

But he was still unable to rescue her.

As he was struggling to get back on his feet, several Rakyat thugs grabbed Jason's body. They forced him back down to his knees.

Jason remained kneeling as the thugs held him down with their arms. He was hardly able to squirm even a few inches, as the Rakyat held him in their iron grips.

All that he could do was look at Daisy.

She looked scared, but also kept her resolve. Proving that she was much stronger than her appearance would lead one to believe.

Out of the corner of his eye and to the left, Jason could see a cloaked figure walking towards Daisy.

"You have to choose Jason." The hooded figure said.

The voice felt somewhat familiar, although Jason couldn't be completely sure. It was a man, of that Jason was sure.

Time stood still for Jason as he watched the man walk across the stone platform. Eventually, he reached Daisy, standing to her right side.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Jason shouted the question. "Fucking answer me!"

Not matter how much he jerked his body in an effort to escape, the effort proved useless.

Jason wanted to swing his tied together arms backwards and strike one of the Rakyat in the face. Which would give him the opportunity to quickly take the gun out of the goon's hands, so that he could use it on the other Rakyat standing next to him.

From that point onwards, Jason would try and shoot all of the Rakyat before they could respond. He would have to kill the hooded man first, as he was the closest to Daisy.

_If only I could get free._

_But I can't. _

_Oh please, please…_

_Please… don't hurt Daisy._

_Take me instead._

"Jason…" The cloaked man said.

This snapped Jason out of his struggle. He turned his eyes up to stare at the hooded man.

Jason felt his blood being replaced with pure fear and horror.

The cloaked villain was holding the exact same tribal knife that Citra had handed Jason several years ago. The knife that she wanted him to use to kill all of his friends.

The knife's blade was made from iron and not steel, which was typical of bladed weapons made by local blacksmiths for centuries.

But it was still a knife. And it was dangerously close to Daisy.

The villain continued. "Are you going to be just another man? Or are you going to embrace your destiny as a Rakyat warrior?"

_It that what this is about?_

_I already decided this several years back._

_I chose to be Jason._

_I chose a life with Daisy. _

"Fuck you! I'm not the chosen warrior of the Rakyat!" Jason spouted out angrily.

"I decided this before! Why the hell are you putting me through this bullshit again?! Just let Daisy go!" Jason shouted.

"Choose!" The hooded villain commanded again.

Jason wanted this all to just end. He wanted to just leave this temple with Daisy.

"Fuck you! You know what I choose! I choose to have a life with Daisy! That is what I _chose_ before! I won't become a killer again! That is all in my past! I'm not a monster anymore!" Jason yelled out.

The cloaked villain didn't respond.

After the moment of tense silence, the villain moved over to Daisy's left side. He then extended his right arm out. He pointed the tip of the blade towards Daisy.

"Did you hear me?!" Jason asked, trying to redirect the villain's attention away from Daisy and towards himself.

Jason could see that Daisy was scared.

The villain put the flat of the blade up against Daisy's left cheek, and drew it across, taunting Jason. The blade didn't hurt Daisy at all, but Jason was still scared for her.

"Hmm…" The cloaked man hummed, as if he was contemplating something.

The villain continued. "Are you sure that you don't want to embrace your destiny as the Hero of the Rakyat? Citra told you that you were the warrior that she needed."

"Citra was a manipulator, she postured herself as some kind of humble leader, but all she wanted was power over her people! She enjoyed the control! She wasn't different from Vaas in the end! Was she?!" Jason meant every word of what he had just said.

"Liar!" The villain was clearly upset by Jason's words. "Citra was a goddess!"

"Citra was a charlatan and a power obsessed bitch! She tried to trick me into believing I was some kind of divine warrior would lead the Rakyat! She wanted to parade me as the savior, but she really just wanted me to be her puppet!" Jason spat back in anger.

Jason couldn't see the man's face, but he assumed that he had a look of contempt smeared across his face.

When the villain didn't respond, Jason resumed. "I don't care what you believe, just let us go! You don't need Daisy for anything!"

The man still did not respond. Jason then looked at Daisy.

"Daisy? Look at me. We will be alright." He said trying to comfort her. "I love you."

"I love you _too_." Daisy's voice was shaky.

The hooded villain turned his head to stare at Daisy. She didn't look at the man, Daisy kept her eyes on Jason. Not giving into the villain's attempt at menacing her with his composure.

"Hey! You!" Jason shouted, grabbing the villain's attention.

The man twisted his hooded head in Jason's direction.

Jason continued. "Why don't you just let us go? Huh? I promise, if you release us, you won't ever see us again. We will leave the islands forever. I swear. Just let us go!"

Both men stood in silence for a moment.

Jason was in a state of unease.

Something felt very, very wrong.

"No." The hooded villain said, just loud enough for Jason to hear him.

Jason's eyes widened in complete horror as the villain thrust his knife upwards into Daisy's lower chest.

The knife pierced her heart as it slid under her ribcage.

"No!" Jason screamed.

Daisy didn't cry out in pain. She only gasped as the knife entered her body.

"No! Daisy!" Jason was sobbing hysterically. "Oh god no!"

Tears poured from Jason's eyes as he furiously struggled, trying to escape the grips of the two Rakyat goons holding him down.

But it was in vain. All of Jason's strength left him as he saw Daisy's head droop down. Her head hung from her shoulders.

Her life left her body.

"Daisy…" Jason cried.

For some reason the two goons released their hands from Jason's shoulders. He fell over on his right side.

As Jason's tears fell from his eyes and onto the stone, his heart broke into a thousand pieces.

He wanted this to just end.

"No… Daisy… please no…" He wept.

/

"Jason? Jason… hey? Wake up!" Jason heard Daisy's voice.

Daisy's face was the first thing he saw when his eyes opened.

"I think that you were having a nightmare." She told him.

Jason's head was laying on top of Daisy's thighs, the same position as when he had fallen asleep. Daisy's left hand was holding onto his right shoulder. She had been shaking him, trying to wake him up.

Now, his eyes opened wide. He was fully awake now.

In the blink of an eye, Jason got up. He got down onto his knees right next to Daisy on the bed.

"Jason are-" Before Daisy could finish speaking, Jason wrapped his arms around Daisy.

He pulled her in close to his chest. Jason was hugging her strongly. But not so much that he was hurting her.

_I don't want to ever let you go._

_I want to keep my arms around you for the rest of eternity._

_You're safe inside my arms._

Jason brushed the back of her head with his left hand as she rested her chin over his right shoulder.

"I thought that I had lost you." Jason said tearfully.

Jason's head laid on top of her right shoulder. Tears fell from his face and slowly descended down Daisy's back.

He was crying tears of joy, and sorrow.

"What happened in your dream?" Daisy asked.

"I-I… I don't want… to talk about it." Jason stammered.

"Please Jason…" She began. "Tell me please. Let's talk about it. I want you to feel alright."

Daisy rubbed Jason's back with her hands. She was trying to comfort him.

"Please… I would hurt too much to tell you." Jason voice broke. "All I want to do is to just hold you in my arms."

And she let him do just that.

Daisy didn't press Jason about his nightmare for several minutes. She let him hug her body, all the while he couldn't cease his crying.

Just as he was brushing her hair with his hand, Daisy did the same. She gently rubbed the back of Jason's head for the duration of those silent minutes.

Gradually, his tears lessened. And he had stopped crying.

Still, he held onto his lover, not letting her escape his embrace. As long as Jason held Daisy in his arms, he knew she would be safe.

The tension had died down enough that Daisy asked Jason again, to talk with her about his nightmare.

"Jason…" Daisy hesitated.

"Okay Daisy… I'm ready to talk." He spoke up before she could continue talking.

"But… I want the both of us to lay down next to each other while we talk. I will feel better if you press your body on my skin. Would that be alright with you?" Jason asked.

"Okay." She agreed. "But you have to stop hugging me first, otherwise I won't be able to move."

"Oh… uh, right… sorry." He gave a nervous laugh. "I didn't intend on holding you for such a long time. I was just so scared of letting something terrible happen to you."

_But I won't let anything happen to you._

He released her from his grip, allowing her to lay down on the bed. Daisy put some pillows underneath her head.

"Come lay down next to me." Daisy patted the empty space to the left of her.

Without a word, Jason crawled up beside her.

Daisy must have been cold because once Jason was lying beside her she pulled the floral-patterned blanket over Jason and herself. She curled up real close to his body.

Jason liked the way her naked skin felt as it touched his own. The sensation was indescribable. It wasn't a sexual or erotic sensation.

It was something else.

When they held each other, they became one.

Their _minds_ became one.

Jason could _feel_ Daisy's emotions, her thoughts, and her sensations whenever their skin touched.

Other couples were close, sure. But Jason and Daisy were _closer_ than any other couple.

Ever since they first shook hands all those years ago at that Italian restaurant, they were connected in a way that reason or science could explain.

Jason never felt this way with Liza. The two of them never could sense each other's thoughts or feelings.

The relationship that Liza and Jason used to have was much more like "friends with benefits" than them being in love. They rarely ever held each other, like how Jason and Daisy will cuddle with one another.

Jason would have described his feelings for Liza and that of a best friend, who would have sex with.

Sex with Liza was different than sex with Daisy.

Jason and Liza never kissed even once as they were having intercourse.

When Jason and Daisy have sex, they will kiss each other at least once, while Jason is inside of her. No matter what sex position they use.

If they are using doggy-style, Jason will stop thrusting momentarily and lean forward to kiss her lips as she twists her head. Or he would lean forward and kiss her back. Tasting her skin.

If Daisy is on top and riding Jason, she will try and lean forward to kiss him.

In missionary, they will have their lips locked the entire time.

For Jason it never felt like empty and meaningless sex with Daisy. It was lovemaking.

Whenever they make love, they _feel_ each other's sensations. At the same time, they will cum together. Their two orgasms combining into one.

Just as their minds will combine into one.

Jason and Daisy never use pet names for each other like; baby, babe, honey, sweetie, that kind of stuff. Jason thought that it was cheesy and superficial to call Daisy by these names.

They only ever address each other using their first names.

"Tell me about your dream." Daisy's right hand fidgeted around under the blanket.

Jason knew she was feeling around for his left hand.

He moved his hand closer so that she could grab it.

"Here's my hand." He said.

"We can interlock our fingers together. Although it might be a little difficult, seeing how I've only got four fingers on that hand." He joked.

"We'll make it work." She laughed.

Daisy's head nuzzled up under his chin. Jason felt his beard brush against the top of her head.

_I'm don't deserve to have a woman like you. _

_Most women would have abandoned me years ago. They wouldn't want to deal with my psychotic outbursts and my horrible nightmares._

_Allowing me to live with you, knowing all the baggage that I drag around…_

_I couldn't have a more perfect woman._

_All of my past trauma and pain affects me every single day. As it affects you. _

_We have survived through horrible things. The both of us. _

_I can still remember that night. _

_When we were together in that cave. Before we had admitted to each other that we were in love. _

_It had been several days after you had recovered and Dr. Earnhardt was hiding the two of us in that cave under his house. _

_When I walked into the cave, you were sleeping in that tent. I quietly opened the tent flap and walked in. _

_As I laid down next to your sleeping body, I worried that you would wake up and think that I was trying to make some kind of sexual advancement. _

_But that wasn't ever my intention._

_I just wanted to make sure that you were safe. _

_To my surprise that night, you wanted me to sleep next to you. You even told me that you were glad that I was there. _

_We were still too afraid to call it "love", but that's what I felt for you. _

_I loved you even back then. _

_I just wish that I would have admitted that to you before the unlikely and strange scenarios that brought us together. _

_When those pirates threatened to hurt you if I didn't have sex with you right there in front of them…_

_Well, that's not how I would have preferred our first time having sex to be like. _

_There wasn't anything romantic about it. _

_But I had to do it… to protect you. _

_Just like I will always protect you. _

_I just hope that I don't have to protect you from myself. _

Jason kissed the top of her head.

And then, with reluctance, he began to speak about his nightmare.

"My dream."

"It was…"

/

* * *

(To Be Continued)

**A/N: **I_ would like to read some thoughts and reviews from the women readers of this story. Most other guys don't like to write romantic stories. So, I'd like to know if I'm any good at it._


	12. Chapter 12: The Ferryman's Fee

Chapter 12: {_The Ferryman's Fee_}

* * *

/

(The Next Day)

"How much are you asking for?" Jason asked the fisherman.

"Hmm…" The swarthy fisherman pondered his answer as he stroked his chin.

The man looked like he was in his late fifties or early sixties. But despite his age, he didn't look feeble in any way. Strong enough to captain his small fishing vessel.

His ship appeared to be sized large enough to ordinarily have a crew of about two or three extra crewmen; not counting the captain.

But today for some reason, the captain had piloted his boat alone. Jason assumed that he might have come to this island for personal reasons that weren't work related.

This was the fourth fisherman that they had come across.

The first native boat owner that Daisy and Jason found, couldn't speak English so they moved on down. Several hundred yards down the dockyard, they found two more fishing boats. One of the captains didn't speak English. And the other _did_ speak English, but wasn't willing to take them to the North Island.

Luckily, this fisherman spoke English very well, and was willing to ferry them across the ocean to the North Island.

But he was still negotiating the price of the journey with Jason.

Jason was afraid that this man would try and weasel out as much money from Jason as he could.

Daisy wasn't standing with Jason. She had told Jason that she was going to buy a bottle of water from a convenience store a few blocks back. Jason was reluctant to let her walk around town alone, but he let her go.

She left his side a minute before Jason had walked up to the fisherman.

"I have to ask." The fisherman continued stroking his chin. "Why would you want to travel to _that_ island? The tourists only visit this island. They never go to the other two islands."

"Well, really in truth…" Jason began. "I don't want to go there myself. But Daisy… Daisy wants to."

"Daisy?" The fisherman was confused.

_Oh… right. I never mentioned to him that I was looking for a boat for two people. _

_He probably thought that I was here by myself. _

"Oh… uh, I probably should have explained myself better. I'm looking for passage for _two_ people." Jason said.

He continued explaining. "And Daisy, well she's my… she's the woman that I'm here with."

Jason saw the fisherman's eyes drift away to Jason's left side.

Daisy's skinny right arm hooked under Jason's left arm.

"Is he going to take us?" Daisy asked quietly into Jason's ear.

"Well… I'm still working on it." He responded.

"Are you two in love?" The fisherman asked for some reason.

His native accent accentuated his words. But his English was clear.

_Are we in love?_

_Why does he care?_

"Uh…" Jason began, but Daisy cut in before he could finish.

"Yes, we are. Very much so." She told the fisherman, as she leaned her head on Jason's shoulder.

Jason didn't want to give this man _too_ much information about Daisy and himself.

Even though he knew that these islands had been rid of the pirates for over two years now, he still felt very protective of Daisy ever since they arrived back on the Rook Islands.

And he was afraid of Daisy getting captured again. Even though that was extremely unlikely.

Jason didn't want to have to fight or kill ever again.

He wanted that part of his life to stay in the past.

"Ever since the very first time that we met one another, we've been in love." She said.

Daisy gently squeezed Jason arm. Signaling to him that everything was okay and that they were safe.

This caused Jason to loosen the tension in his muscles.

_Safe for now. _

What she said about them being in love since they first met… was only a half-truth. They _did_ fall in love the moment that they met. But they weren't able to tell one another how they felt.

_We were both dating different people when we first fell in love. _

_I wish that I had met you before I met Liza, and before you met my brother. _

_That way I wouldn't have felt guilty about being in love with you._

Stroking his chin for a moment, the fisherman remained silent.

The fisherman broke the silence. "Have you… ever been to the other two islands before? _Those_ islands aren't like _this_ island. There are no hotels or nice paved roads."

"We know." Jason responded with a tone of certainty.

"Almost everyone who is living there… they don't have electricity, or indoor plumbing." The fisherman continued.

"I know that. I've… _we've_ been there before." Jason said to the man.

The fisherman's eyes widened very subtly. Hardly noticeable.

But Jason noticed it.

"Hmm, I've decided to take you two. Just give me a few short minutes and I'll be ready to leave." The captain said.

"Really?" Jason was confused. "What made you say yes? And… how much money are you going to ask me to pay?"

"Nothing." The man said. "You don't have to pay me anything. In truth, I live on that island. And I was just about to return home before you stopped me."

Jason responded. "You want me to pay you absolutely nothing? What are you up to? Why wouldn't you want me to pay you? It's easy money after all."

_What's the catch? _

_No one offers a free boat ride. _

"No catch, I'm just a friendly fisherman I suppose." The captain responded as if he was being sarcastic.

"But when I first approached you and your boat, you told me that you would transport me if I gave you some cash." Jason reminded the fisherman.

"You're right." Said the fisherman. "But, well…"

The man paused for a few seconds.

"I'll explain everything to you if you two would get in my vessel. I want to head back home. And I'll go _with_ or _without_ you." The fisherman said.

Then he added the comment-

"I'm not a pirate, I swear." The fisherman grinned.

The man was obviously joking, but it still rubbed Jason the wrong way.

Jason clinched his fists. He didn't like the joke.

Daisy sensed Jason's tension.

She lowered her right hand down and held his left hand. Her skinny fingers curled around his fist. Causing him to transform his angry fist into an eager hand, opening to interlock his fingers with Daisy.

_Thank you, Daisy. For saving me from turning into a monster._

_Today…_

_You're my hero. _

"We'd appreciate that very much." Daisy said as she quickly squeezed Jason's hand.

"And we won't waste your time any longer. We packed some things in our backpacks in case of an emergency, so we have everything that we need already to go." She told the boat captain.

Daisy asked. "Once you drop us off on the island, we will need you to bring us back to _this_ island. Would you also be willing to do that for us?"

"Of course. You can find me in the same village that I'll drop you two off in." Said the fisherman.

"_It's alright Jason. I feel like we can trust him. I need you to trust my instinct, just as you trust your own." _Daisy said to Jason.

Only, she never said it out loud.

No.

She spoke directly to Jason's mind. No one else could have heard it.

This was the first time that Jason has ever heard Daisy's words inside of her thoughts.

Daisy had been able to hear Jason's thoughts inside of _his_ head before he ever spoke them. But Jason could only ever sense Daisy's emotions and sensations.

But her actual thoughts (that is hearing them inside of her mind) was something that he hadn't been able to do. He could usually sense the basics of what she was thinking.

But not the actual thoughts in their entirety.

_There is something truly magic between us, isn't there Daisy? _

"Okay then. If it's alright with the gentleman here, we'll head out right now." The fisherman said.

Jason didn't respond. His mind was elsewhere.

"How about it?" Daisy asked Jason. Snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Oh-uh yeah. I… I'm ready." Jason stammered.

The boat was docked at the end of the pier. The fisherman got onto the boat first. Next, Jason entered the boat after the man and then held out his hands to help Daisy climb into the vessel.

"Are you ready to get going?" The captain asked them.

"I think so." Jason responded.

Daisy and Jason were standing on the side of the boat. They held onto the railing.

The boat's engine started.

The fisherman's boat set off into the ocean.

The island gradually became more and more miniscule until it was completely out of view.

For a while, the blue ocean water was the only thing visible from the boat.

After a while, Jason and Daisy both sat down on the rusty deck. Daisy laid her head on Jason's shoulder as they held each other's hands.

A long time went by before the boat passed the "South Island."

The captain never spoke to either of them during the duration of the cruise.

At least that's how Jason remembered it. He spent a lot of time daydreaming as he stared up at the clouds in the sky.

The steady hum of the boat's engine was relaxing. As was the warmth of Daisy's body.

Jason started to daydream.

He started to recall the very first time he and Daisy had kissed each other.

He remembered that moment which he shared with Daisy. At the time that it had happened, Jason hadn't intended to kiss Daisy.

It just kind of happened that way.

* * *

/

(_Flashback_)

It was a few years back. Jason was still searching throughout the Rook Islands for his captured friends and his little brother. It was several days after Daisy had recovered from being poisoned from a poisonous tree. The branches had scratched her right arm and her left cheek.

Jason had just returned to the cave under Dr. Earnhardt's house after searching all day for Liza.

Liza was still alive and on the Northern Island. Several overheard rumors and some bad intel had led Jason to some dead ends in his search to save the people that he cared about.

A new rumor had sprung about that Liza was being imprisoned personally by Vaas. But there wasn't any way for Jason to authenticate the validity of this.

He still had to try and save Liza. So, he didn't have any other choice but to follow whatever leads he had which would help him find all of his lost friends.

But for right now, he only had found Daisy.

He was tired from his day-long searching. In addition to his tired state, the sun had gone down. It was too dark outside.

A faint orange light reflected on the cave walls. There was a small fire burning outside of Daisy's tent. There were also several lanterns spread throughout the inside of the cave.

Without any lighting, it would have been impossible to see inside the cave at night.

Over the fire sat a cast iron cup with a handle.

"What is inside of that cup?" Jason asked as he walked up to where Daisy was sitting.

Jason laid his Chinese Kalashnikov down beside Daisy's tent. As well as his canvas satchel.

"Dr. Earnhardt told me that I should drink this tea filled with certain herbs. He told me that it would help my body recover from the side effects of that poison." She responded.

Daisy didn't lift her head up from staring at the fire to look at Jason as she responded to him.

She sat in an old wooden a few feet away from the flames of the campfire.

"Are you still sick? Dr. Earnhardt told me that those mushrooms that I bought to him were going to stop the poison." The worry in Jason's voice was easily noticeable.

Daisy's head lifted up and her eyes met Jason.

"Those mushrooms _did_ save my life, thank you Jason." She gave him a weak smile.

She continued. "The poison is gone from my body, but Dr. Earnhardt explained to me that I won't be feeling one hundred percent for at least for another week."

"I hope that you haven't been feeling sick. Have you?" His voice was filled with concern.

"Occasionally I will become light headed for a few seconds. Or I won't have the best balance. But Dr. Earnhardt told me that this is a normal after effect for people recovering from the same kind of toxic plant that I was exposed to. He said that I should take it easy for a few days and that these symptoms _are_ _not_ going to be permanent." Daisy said.

Her voice had a tone signifying that she was optimistic about her recovery.

Jason picked up an old folding lawn chair that was leaning up against the cave wall, and sat it down to Daisy's left side.

"But I do appreciate you worrying about my wellbeing." She said, sounding genuine.

"I _was_ worried about you." Jason sat down in the chair. "I care about you. Whenever I am roaming around out there looking for the other, I fear for your safety."

Jason rubbed his eyes with his palms. He began to yawn.

Sleep was starting to course through his body. But he mustered the willpower to stay awake for a few minutes longer so that he could talk with Daisy.

He had to be certain that she was safe and sound before he curled up into his sleeping bag, and drifted to sleep.

Last night, Daisy let him sleep inside of her tent. Jason had laid down beside her.

They had simply slept together in the same tent, nothing more. Neither one of them considered it inappropriate to share the same tent to sleep in. They left a gap between themselves as they slept, keeping things purely platonic.

Both Jason and Daisy needed to watch out for one another. It was only the two of them alone in that cave.

And staying close to each other would provide some small amount of safety while they were stranded on these dangerous islands.

Jason wasn't aware, at this time, that Daisy had the same _feelings_ for him as he had for her. For over a year now, Daisy had hidden from the world her love for Jason.

"I know how much you care for me." Daisy said, breaking the momentary and awkward silence.

Jason remained silent and hadn't responded to Daisy's comment. Jason was afraid that Daisy suspected his romantic feelings for her.

One half of Jason's conscious felt guilty for being in love with his brother's girlfriend. He knew that is wasn't appropriate for him to dream of having Daisy be his. He shouldn't feel this way about her.

It isn't right to love her… it isn't fair to Grant.

But the other side of his conscious told him that he and Daisy were meant to be together.

"Of course I care about you. I always have." Jason responded as he stared into the dancing flames of the small fire.

Jason leaned forward with his elbows on his knees as he held his head up with his hands.

"I uh… want you to know." He began nervously. "I think of your as one of my best friends. Probably my best friend. I've enjoyed the times that we've hung out together over the past year. Going to movies, hanging out at that coffee shop close to the beach."

Jason paused for a moment as he reclined back against the chair.

He resumed. "I like spending time with you."

Jason turned his head to the right to see if Daisy was looking at him.

She wasn't, at first. But a second after Jason had turned his head to look at her, she turned and looked at him as well.

"Me too." Daisy smiled sweetly.

Jason returned the smile.

An indeterminate amount of time passed without either one of them engaging in conversation.

It only felt like a few minutes to Jason, but he couldn't have been certain.

Jason rested his head in his hand as his elbow rested on the arm of the chair as is propped his head up.

His eyes were struggling to stay open as his body was sliding into sleep.

Before Jason passed into sleep, he felt Daisy give him a light kiss on his cheek. This rejuvenated him back to being fully awake.

The kiss was a quick one, but it was just long enough to pull Jason further away from sleep.

He removed his head from his palm and sat upright.

"What was that for?" He sounded puzzled. Jason turn his head to look over at her.

"No reason." Daisy gave him a grin and a shrug of her shoulders.

"No reason huh?" Jason started.

He smirked. "So, you just kiss guys on the cheek for no reason at all?"

Daisy scoffed at his bad attempt at a joke. Smiling after she did it.

"I did that, well… because I'm… I'm just glad that you're here… with _me_." She stammered, and sounded a little nervous, which was uncharacteristic for her.

Jason wanted to respond, but he hadn't been able to choose the right words.

He wanted to tell her that… _he was in love with her and that was why he wanted to stay the night in this cave, with her_.

But he knew that he should get rid of that thought, and think about Liza…

And _not_ Daisy.

The two of them engaged in another moment of silence. But I was shorter, about half a minute.

"I miss Grant." Daisy broke the silence. Her voice was monotone, without a hint of sadness. "I want to cry for him, but after several days of constant crying, I just can't anymore.

Jason had opened his lips to respond, but before he could speak, she continued on talking.

"Please Jason, I don't want you to think that I'm not sad or heartbroken over Grant's death only because I'm not crying." Daisy twisted her head to look into the flames.

"I must have just… run out of tears… I guess." She added.

An overwhelming feeling of depression and despair filled Jason's heart. And he assumed it swelled Daisy's heart as well.

"I get it, and I understand how you're feeling." Jason told her. He turned his head to look at the fire with her.

Daisy didn't respond.

"You shouldn't feel bad for not crying." Jason tried to sound a little reassuring.

"Being honest, I haven't even cried once over my brother's death." Jason said.

He sounded ashamed with himself.

Then he added. "And I know that makes me a horrendous brother. I mean, how could any normal man not cry a single tear for his brother that had just been killed right in front of him?"

Jason's fingers tightly griped around the end of his chair's arm rests. He squeezed the chair so hard, that it was beginning to give him pain.

He wanted it to hurt.

Maybe if he brought himself enough pain, he would finally be able to cry.

Only, his tears wouldn't be genuine ones.

A soft and gentle hand quickly squeezed around his right hand.

Daisy slowly stroked the top of his hand.

Goosebumps sprung up all across Jason's skin. Daisy's kind fingers took him by surprise.

The way that she caressed his hand, was almost intimate.

_It's almost like she is trying to be romantic_. Jason had thought.

He loosened his tight grip on both of the armrests.

"I don't want you to feel guilty about not crying over Grant." She said, trying to comfort him. "You've been through a lot over this last week. There are too many different and conflicting emotions that you have trapped inside of you."

The words got caught inside of Jason's throat.

What response could he have given her?

"But I _know_ that you aren't a monster. I know that you're sad." Daisy continued to tenderly caress his hand.

"One day you will want to cry about it… and when that day comes, I'll be here for. You can cry on _my_ shoulder if you want. When you're ready to talk someday, I want it to _be_ me that you talk to." Daisy's voice started to break.

When Jason turned to look at the woman that he was secretly in love with, he saw a few tears roll down her face. She wasn't sobbing, only shedding a few tears

Daisy pulled both hands up to her face to brush away the few isolated tears.

"Come here." He reached around Daisy and pulled her into a hug. "I'm here for you… I'll always be here for you. I promise."

Warm blonde hair rested on Jason's shoulder. Jason tilted his head so that his cheek was up against the top of her head.

It didn't take but a minute for Daisy's crying to cease.

"I've never been the kind of girl to play the damsel in distress, you know? I have _always_ taken care of myself, not having to have some man come and save me. But Grant liked to think that he was my protector, and sometimes I'd let him believe it. I never needed his saving, but it was nice to have someone always looking out for me." Daisy told Jason.

Jason reassured her. "I can be the one who will keep you safe, if you want."

"Hmm… Thanks Jason. I'd like that." She said.

For a few minutes of silence, Jason held Daisy in his embrace.

He wanted to tell her how much he loves her. To tell her that he was _in_ love with her.

But he never did.

She had suffered through _too_ much recently. Telling Daisy that he was in love with her, would just add more unnecessary weight for her to bear.

And she'd been through enough.

Daisy lifted her head from Jason's shoulder, and then stood up from her chair.

"Dr. Earnhardt said that I need to drink this tea before I go to sleep." She said.

The cast iron cup was sitting on top of an old steel fish cooking platform. The steel grill was made from thick crisscrossed steel wire, with four stout legs to hold it up above a fire.

She put on an old thick cowhide oven mitt over her right hand that she'd gotten from Dr. Earnhardt, and picked up the cup. She sat the cup down on top of a large and flat stone laying off to the side of the large pool of water in the cave.

"The tea needs to cool down, and it will probably take a while." Daisy said. She turned around and walked back towards Jason.

Jason was hardly able to keep himself awake. He enjoyed talking with Daisy.

It brought him much needed comfort and sanity.

His days were spent killing and surviving the worst that the islands had to throw at him.

When his time wasn't being spent with Daisy, he only had revenge and violence to keep him company. Jason had convinced himself that he needed to do whatever was required to save his missing loved ones.

But he knew that one day, all of the violence and killing that he had done, would come back and haunt him.

Haunt his life.

Haunt his dreams.

"I'm about to fall asleep in this chair. Since I'm already here, would it be alright for me to sleep in your tent tonight?" Jason asked before he was interrupted by his yawn.

Daisy stopped a few feet in front of Jason.

"Okay. I don't want you to have to walk out the nearest outpost in the middle of the night. So, you _should_ stay here with me tonight." She said.

Daisy folded her arms and gave him a weak smile.

"Thank you." Jason stood up from his chair, and walked over to Daisy's tent.

As he was unzipping the tent, Daisy spoke.

"I am going to stay up for a while. You'll most likely have been asleep for a long time when I'm ready to go to sleep." Daisy said.

She turned her body to face the pool of water. "I will try to be quiet and not wake you when I step into the tent."

"Don't worry." Jason stepped halfway inside the tent. "I am a pretty deep sleeper. Plus, I'm very tired."

Jason left her with. "See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight." Daisy responded. She didn't turn her head to look at Jason as she spoke.

And with that, he entered the tent.

Jason left the tent unzipped for Daisy.

Jason rolled out his sleeping bag and laid it down. He slept on top of it rather than crawling inside of it. A curled up old beach towel was what he used as a makeshift pillow.

Once he had laid down, it had only taken a matter of seconds for him to fall asleep.

And he was lost in his dreams.

/

(_Later That Same Night_)

Jason had been swept away in deep sleep.

That was until he woke up suddenly from a horrible nightmare. A nightmare that he had forgotten as soon as he woke up.

He couldn't even remember why it was so awful, but it was terrible enough to leave his skin cold and clammy with sweat drenching his neck and forehead.

Jason sat himself up with a violent jerk.

His hands slammed down flat onto the tent floor.

The only thing that stopped him from panting, was a woman's soft hand.

Daisy right hand took hold of Jason's cold right hand. She had been sleeping to the right of him.

"Was it a bad dream?" Her voice was calming for Jason to hear.

"No, it was a nightmare." Jason had begun to calm down.

"What was it about?" She asked.

"I-I… actually can't remember. All I know is that it was dark and had me scared." He responded.

"Jason… look at me please." Daisy sounded concerned.

Instead of looking at her, Jason had decided to leave Daisy's tent.

"I'm going to get going to the closest outpost to sleep in for the rest of the night. I don't want to wake you up again or keep you up all night worrying about me." He said.

Before he could leave, Daisy pulled his arm, causing him to lay down close enough to her that their faces almost touched.

Daisy spoke to him. "Don't leave me please. I feel better when you're her with me. You make me feel safer."

A moment later, Jason and Daisy's lives had changed forever.

Jason couldn't remember which of them made the first move, but they two of them soon had their lips pressed together.

_Why is she kissing me_?_ Is she in love with me_?Jason had wondered at the time.

Laying on their sides, the pair had leaned in close to one another.

And in the blink of an eye, Daisy had climbed on top of Jason's body. He legs spread out over his abdomen with her knees touching the tent floor. She had her back hunched down as her hands firmly held onto the sides of his face.

Jason could feel his cock becoming erect as Daisy's passion gripped his entire body.

He wanted her so bad.

To make love to her.

This was a moment that Jason had dreamt of for over a year now.

To be kissing the woman that he was madly in love with.

A forbidden love.

Amidst the sensation of ecstasy and passion, Jason had also felt guilt.

Guilt for making out with his brother's girlfriend. A brother who had been killed just a week ago.

He also felt guilt over Liza. She was _still_ currently his real girlfriend, and kissing Daisy behind her back gave him an uneasy feeling.

He wanted to pursue a life with Daisy, but he had to end things with Liza first.

Liza deserved that.

This is when Jason reluctantly decided to put a halt to this romance with Daisy. Before he was past the point of no return.

Jason's arms slid up between his body and Daisy's. He gently put his hands around her beautiful cheeks, and carefully pushed her head away from his lips.

"Daisy… we shouldn't." He told her, despite his true desires of having her continue.

Daisy gave him a look. A look in her eyes that Jason had difficulty reading.

Was she agreeing with him? Did she _disagree_ with him? A little of both?

"I'm sorry." Daisy said. She leaned her back up straight. But she was still on top of him.

"Don't be sorry. It is _my_ fault, I shouldn't have… kissed you." Jason tried to take the blame, even though he didn't even remember which one of them made the first move.

She moved herself off of Jason and rolled back over to her own sleeping bag.

Daisy rolled over onto her right side so that Jason couldn't see her facial expression.

She remained silent.

Jason sat up and crossed his legs. He rested his arms on his knees.

Jason sighed. "I think that I should go stay at an outpost for the rest of the night. I am sorry for making you uncomfortable. I wasn't thinking."

Daisy didn't respond or turn over to look at him.

"I'm sorry Daisy." Jason got up on to his hands and knees and started to crawl towards the tent's entrance.

But as he started to pull on the zipper with his thumb and forefinger, Daisy spoke to him.

"Wait." She said. "Don't go."

"But Daisy I-" Jason was cut off in the middle of his sentence by Daisy.

"Don't apologize for what just happened. In the last couple of days, you have been dealing with a lot of different emotions." She said.

Jason's hand still held onto the zipper, but he didn't move, staying still and thinking.

"Please… I want you to stay here with me. You're my best friend." She continued.

"You're my best friend too." Jason sighed and released the tent's zipper.

Without saying a word, Jason turned around and crawled back to his sleeping bag.

Jason gave another sigh. "Okay, I'll stay."

"Thank you." Daisy said.

Daisy had rolled over to face him. He twisted his head and stared into her beautiful eyes for a short moment.

She seemed genuine in wanting him to stay the night with her.

"Can we just forget about this, and not talk about it again? Can we just go back to normal?" Jason asked her, hoping she'd agree.

"Okay." She smiled.

"Goodnight then." Jason rolled onto his left side so that he wasn't facing Daisy.

"Jason?" Daisy spoke his name as a question.

"Yeah? What is it?" He responded.

"I'd like it if you held me while I sleep. It would make me feel better. Please?" Daisy requested. "Just hold me, nothing more. As a friend, just make me feel safe. Please?"

Jason contemplated what he should do. He wanted to hold Daisy and make her feel safe. But he didn't want things to go too far in another moment of passion.

"I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable or awkward." He explained.

"But I guess that I can comfort you tonight. As a friend." Jason agreed.

"Thank you, Jason." She said.

Jason rolled back over to face Daisy. She gave him a smile, which was barely visible in the dim light inside the tent. Then she turned back onto her right side.

He scooted up close behind Daisy's back, and pressed his chest up against her back.

After he got in close, Jason left arm reached over Daisy's side and he laid his forearm across her belly.

He tried to avoid brushing his arm against her breasts accidentally. That would only make things even more awkward.

"Let's get some sleep now. We'll start fresh tomorrow." Jason said as sleep once again blanketed over his body.

"Goodnight." Daisy said quietly.

"Goodnight." He returned.

Jason really whished that he could say more.

He wanted to say "_I love you_." But he pushed that thought out of his head.

Jason had another thought.

He decided that once he has gotten everyone safely off of these islands, he would tell Daisy that he was in love with her.

It was a secret that was becoming too painful for him to keep hidden away.

All he needed was the right time to tell her.

But how would he know when that time had arrived?

* * *

/

(_Current Time_)

"Hey Jason. We've arrived." Daisy shook him out of his memories.

Daisy got to her feet. As she stood up, she urged him up by pulling his arm up with her as she rose.

"Come on, get up." She said playfully.

Jason got to his feet. "I'm up, I'm up."

He lifted up his arm to stretch his back out.

"Hey Daisy." He got her attention.

She responded. "What?"

"I recognize the village. It hasn't changed at all in the last couple years." He said.

Before she could respond to Jason, the fisherman spoke.

"It was a couple years ago when I first met you in this village." The fisherman said.

His comment threw Jason back.

The fisherman leaned back against the steering wheel of his boat.

Jason stepped in front of Daisy.

He wasn't sure if he should be feeling threatened or not, but he went ahead to protect Daisy as a precautionary measure.

"What the fuck are you talking about." Jason said trying to intimidate the man.

But the fisherman was unmoved by Jason's show of flashing his teeth and showing his claws.

The fisherman raised his right hand in surrender. "I am sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel uneasy."

"Jason… please… calm down." Daisy stepped up close behind Jason and gently stroked the side of his right arm. But it did nothing to ease Jason's tension.

"Tell me what the hell is going on!" Jason angrily shouted.

The fisherman sighed. "I didn't think that you would remember me. It's understandable. You only saw me for a minute."

"We've met before?" Jason sounded far less angry than he did only a few seconds ago.

"Yes." The man responded. "A couple years ago, you captured a pirate hilltop outpost. And after you cleared out the pirates, you had found four people from this village inside that outpost."

Jason looked down at the rusted deck of the fishing boat as he tried to remember.

He had captured over a dozen outposts from the pirates. Remembering one specific outpost was something that he couldn't do, even though he tried to remember it.

"I don't remember the exact outpost that you're speaking of." Jason told the boat captain.

"Well… that's fine if you don't remember. Because everyone here in this village won't ever forget what you've done for us." Said the captain.

Remaining silent, Jason stood there feeling confused.

"I can't remember." Jason was starting to calm himself down.

The fisherman told the story. "When you liberated that outpost, you found four people who had been taken from this village. The pirates were using them as collateral, so that no one in this village would fight back or rise up against them. If we didn't honor their demands, then they would begin executing their hostages."

"So that's why you agreed to help me? Because I'd rescued some people that you knew?" Jason asked.

"One of the four hostages that you brought back with you, was my wife." The fisherman said.

Words failed Jason.

How was he supposed to respond to something like that?

The fisherman continued telling the story. "You had escorted those four people to this village. They had followed close behind you as you walked into town. As soon as I saw my wife, I ran to her and held her in my arms. As she cried on my shoulder, I had thanked you repetitively. I had offered you some money as a show of my gratitude, but you had told me that didn't need my money. You then nodded your head at me, and walked away with your gun slung over your shoulder. I then lost sight of you as you left the village and continued on your journey."

"I-I…" Jason stammered.

"I told you that I would explain why I had agreed to take you and her onto my boat for no charge. And now you know why. When you had approached me, I didn't recognize you at first. But after hearing your voice, and you telling me that you'd been to the island before, I was sure of who you were." The fisherman said.

Jason turned to the side to look at Daisy.

She had her arms crossed and her eyes were wide. Jason laid his right arm across the back of her shoulders, and pulled her in close to himself.

He laid his cheek on top of her head.

"I would like to meet your wife." Daisy told the man.

She said _exactly_ what Jason had been thinking.

"My wife… she…" the fisherman lowered his head. "She passed away a few months ago."

"I'm sorry." Jason said courteously.

"Don't be. You returned my wife back to me. You gave me the gift a spending a few more years with her. And I am thankful for that." The man said.

The man continued. "It just happened to be her time to go. Nothing anyone could have done to change that. If you hadn't have saved her from those pirates, then I probably wouldn't have seen her ever again."

Jason heard Daisy sniffle.

He himself was holding back tears of his own.

"I hope that you and your Daisy enjoy all of the time that you will have together. Even during the hard times in your lives. Even if things aren't going well for either of you, just keep in mind that just being together will make it all worth it." The fisherman gave his wisdom to the couple.

Jason and Daisy were both at a loss of words.

"You don't have to say anything." The fisherman grinned. "You two can stay in my house's spare room for tonight. And then continue on whatever mission you two are on in the morning."

"Thank you… for everything." Jason graciously thanked the fisherman.

"Don't mention it." The fisherman told them. "I hope that the two of you are comfortable with spending the night on top of an old mattress. I am afraid that it will be the closest thing to a hotel bed that you'll find on this island."

"We'd be perfectly fine with that. We have slept in less comfortable places before." Daisy said.

She added. "We used to sleep inside of a cave."

/

* * *

(To Be Continued)

**A/N:** Leave whatever kind of review or criticisms that you like. Leave a comment if you liked it.


	13. Chapter 13: Broken Home

Chapter 13: {_Broken Home_}

* * *

/

(The Next Day)

"It's been years since I've been to this island." Jason said.

Jason and Daisy walked up a gradual incline. They were walking off to the side of the primitive dirt road. Occasionally a car would pass by the two of them. But for the majority of their hike, they were alone.

Jason spoke on. "But I can still remember where everything is on this island."

"Well it surely isn't a fair contest. You spent the most part of your time on these islands, roaming the wilds while I hid inside of a cave. Which is why I am placing my trust in you to escort me safely to our destination, my brave and noble knight." Daisy spoke the truth of the matter, but she managed to speak in a joking manner.

"Of course, my lady." Jason joked. "For you shall address me as _Sir Jason Brody of Santa Monica_."

"Um-hmm." Daisy murmured.

Jason looked at her. "I see that you still appreciate my horrible jokes." He commented sarcastically.

Daisy laughed.

_It's good to see you laugh and smile. _

_This place has caused the two of us too much crying and sorrow. _

_We should even out the bad memories with a few good ones. _

The couple walked closely side by side.

"Do you want to hold hands with me while we walk?" Daisy asked.

"No sane man could refuse you." He smirked. Jason then took Daisy's left hand in his right hand. Their fingers interlocked together.

They walked without speaking to one another for a couple of minutes.

Jason's ears filled with the sound of waves crashing on the nearby beach, tropical birds speaking in their own language, and the gentle wind blowing past his face.

Daisy had begun to slow her pace.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Kiss me." She requested.

Jason asked. "So, the reason that you stopped walking, was just so that I could kiss you?"

"It sounded like a good enough reason to me." She said.

"Well… you've provided me with a reasonable argument." He said.

Underneath the midday sun, the two lovers kissed.

Every time that Jason kissed Daisy's lips, it felt like the greatest kiss that he'd ever experienced.

And every other kiss after that one, would be greater than the one before.

The kiss lost its momentum.

Daisy pulled her head back. "Let's get a move on."

The pair continued up the hillside. At the top of the slope would be their destination.

"Most places on this island I don't recognize. But this area, is easy for me to recognize." Daisy said. "Dr. Earnhardt's house… I mean… what's left of it, is just up this hill."

"Do you think that the Indonesian government cleaned up the burnt down house?" She asked him.

Jason was wondering the same thing.

Those Rakyat goons had murdered the doctor, and then set fire to his house. All because he refused to hand over Jason's friends.

And it was right then and there, when he saw what the Rakyat had done to Dr. Earnhardt, that Jason had realized that the side he had been fighting for, wasn't any better than the pirates or the mercenaries.

_Citra used me as a hero for her people to rally behind. And the whole time, she had me buying into the bullshit too. _

"We will see soon. But I don't think that they would have cared. They sat back the whole time that these islands were in chaos. The Indonesians didn't get themselves involved until after the pirate threat was already dealt with. After the Rakyat had reclaimed the islands." Jason reasoned.

Daisy said, sounding crestfallen. "He didn't deserve to be killed. If he hadn't found me… I wouldn't be alive today."

They never stopped walking up the hill the whole time that they reminisced about the doctor.

"He was one of the few good people that lived here. He kept our friends under his protection, and wouldn't turn on them, even though he knew that it might very well cost him his own life." Jason said.

He wanted to speak a few good words about Dr. Earnhardt, since he never had a proper funeral.

Jason wondered if he would find a skeleton amongst the ruins of the house.

Or maybe the Rakyat goons had returned after Jason and Riley had left. The Rakyat probably had come back to ransack what they could from the doctor's house.

They might have even done him the decency of throwing his corpse into the ocean, to let his body be devoured by the sharks. Jason supposed that the Rakyat would have considered that to be as respectful of a burial for a slain foe as they would give him.

"He was always very sweet to me." Daisy told Jason.

Jason reinforced Daisy's comment. "He had spoken to me one day, just before I had gone off to continue my search for the missing. Earnhardt told me that he was very fond of you because you reminded him of his own daughter. I am not sure why you had reminded him of his own daughter. His daughter died when she was only two years old, so your appearance couldn't have resembled hers at all."

"I can remember him calling me 'Agnes' a couple of times." Daisy said.

"Agnes was his daughter's name." Jason responded.

"I don't think that he ever had really processed the death of his daughter. And he thought of me as a proxy daughter. Someone that he wanted to protect, giving himself a second chance to save another girl." Daisy had said.

"Well… he also enjoyed his own drugs that he cultivated. So his mind wasn't always at a hundred percent." Jason added.

Daisy provided some rationale. "The drugs were his way of providing an escape from reality. Something to help him cope with his daughter's death."

"But he was _still_ a good man, despite his drug habit." Daisy added solemnly.

Jason was in total agreement with Daisy. Earnhardt _did_ enjoy his drugs, but if one could overlook that one detriment about him, they would have seen that his heart was pure.

"Look Jason!" Daisy said, catching his attention.

Jason had been keeping his eyes down towards the ground as they ascended up the hill.

But when he heard Daisy, he quickly raised his eyes to see what was in front of him.

The ruins of Dr. Earnhardt's house were still there.

_Nobody has cleared the debris. It has been this way for several years now_.

Jason remarked. "The last time I saw this house, it was on fire."

"And now it's just a pile of black burnt wood." Daisy added.

The two of them kept silent as they got closer and closer to the destroyed house.

There wasn't anything that either one of them could say.

They were only a couple yards away from the house, when Daisy picked up pace and starting walking faster than Jason. She let go of Jason's hand as she walked ahead of him.

"Is this where you saw him last?" Daisy asked Jason.

She crouched down and rested her elbows on top of her knees. She kept still as she looked at the ruins.

Jason stopped just a few feet behind her. "He was laying down and had both hands covering a wound in his abdomen. I don't know if he was shot or stabbed."

The wind began to pick up speed, causing Daisy's hair to blow to the side.

She took her small backpack off and laid it down on the ground beside her.

Jason watched Daisy's skinny hand ran across the top soil of the jungle floor.

Then, she reached her right hand down and picked up some dirt. The soil here was dry and thin. It consisted of fine particles that were just slightly larger than sand pebbles.

She held the dirt firmly in her hand. "Will you… will you help me? Will you help me build him a cross?"

"Of course, I'll help. It's the least we could do for him." Jason answered as he watched her hair blow in the wind.

With that said, Daisy opened her hand. The wind blew away the dirt in her hand. Each small piece of dirt flew away in the wind, until her hand was empty.

"His body is gone, but we can still build him a cross." Jason said.

"What do you think happened? To his body I mean." She asked.

"Unfortunately, probably wild animals. They must have torn away one piece of his body at a time, until the was nothing left." He answered honestly.

Daisy responded. "You're probably right."

The way her voice sounded… it wasn't sadness… but discouragement.

"I'm sorry Daisy… I should have buried him all those years ago." Jason said glumly.

"Don't be sorry." Daisy said as she quickly stood up and walked up to Jason.

She grabbed his hands with her opposite hands. Her thumbs lightly squeezing his palms.

She spoke to him. "You didn't have any time to bury him. All of your friends had been kidnapped. You had to save them, Liza, and… me."

"Hey… look at me." Daisy added.

Jason had been staring down at the ground, watching the un-maintained jungle grass sway with the wind. His mind was racing with many different thoughts.

"Jason, look at me please." Daisy repeated herself.

That got his attention. He raised his head to stare into Daisy's eyes.

She resumed speaking to him. "You did nothing wrong. I know that you would have buried him if you weren't pressed for time. But after Earnhardt had told you that your friends were in trouble, you knew that you were the only one that could rescue us."

"I hope you know that I couldn't have gone through with it." Jason spoke with a serious tone.

"Couldn't have gone through with what? What are you talking about?" Daisy asked confused.

Jason clarified. "Citra handed me that knife, and wanted me to slit Liza's throat. And after I had killed Liza, Citra would have made me kill the rest of you."

His voice started to shake as he held back his tears. This made him pause briefly.

He continued on in anguish. "She wanted me to kill all of my friends, but I don't understand why. Why would I have to kill my friends? Couldn't Citra have been content with just letting you guys leave the islands while I stayed behind with her?"

"Because _Citra_ was crazy, and wanted you to become like her." Daisy answered quickly. "But you didn't. You chose to be '_Jason_'. You had to become… what you _became_, to save all of us."

Daisy's voice then switched over to a more soft and gentle tone.

"Citra ordered you to kill Liza, knowing that it would be your crucible point of no return. As I had my hands tied together and hung from that old iron hook, I looked into your eyes." She said.

Tears began to layer over Daisy's beautiful eyes, until they grew too much for her eyes to hold them. They rolled down her face.

_Let me cry for you Daisy. _

_I hate seeing you cry._

Daisy sniffled. "But I knew that you loved Liza, Oliver, Keith, your little brother Riley, and… _me_… too much to let the monster side of you take full control. As I watched you inside that temple, I could see the look inside of your eyes. There was an internal struggle deep inside of you at that moment."

Jason felt himself being pulled closer to Daisy as she pulled on his arms. She took a small step forward to get up even closer to him.

"At that moment… you chose your own path. It was your life, and you were not going to let Citra dictate the kind of man you would become." Daisy told Jason.

"Yeah… but I-" Jason was cut from speaking. Daisy cut in.

She spoke sternly to him. "Jason… I _know_ that you still feel guilty over Citra manipulating you. And you shouldn't. Both Dennis and Citra had a lot of influence over you. Those Rakyat warriors taught you how to survive… and how to _kill_ to survive."

The last part of what she said, really struck home with Jason.

Daisy continued in that stern tone. "The things that you did on these islands is a part of your past, and you can't ever change that. Just like how I can't change what those pirates forced you to me. When you had to rape me."

Jason felt himself get angry at Daisy.

This was the first time that he had ever felt anger towards Daisy in all these years.

He didn't like that she had brought that up.

"That doesn't change the fact that I still feel guilty over…" Jason paused.

I _don't want to say it._

_I don't want to say… "rape"_

_But that's what it was. _

Jason resumed. "Over raping you."

"Yeah… I just-" Daisy couldn't continue, as he cut her off.

"I don't want you to ever bring that up again!" Jason snapped.

Much louder than he had intended.

Daisy let go of his hands. She looked at him in a way that Jason hadn't ever seen before.

It was clear that she felt thrown off by Jason's shouting at her.

She took two steps backwards. "So that's what it feels like to have you be angry with me? That is a first for me."

Daisy didn't sound mad _or_ afraid.

Jason couldn't comprehend her tone of voice.

"I know that we used to argue with each other during the first month that you moved in with me, but those were only small disagreements. But you weren't ever _really_ angry at me. We only argued like kids." She said.

"I didn't mean… I-I'm sorry. It was wrong for me to yell at you." Jason said.

He lowered his head.

"I didn't mean to upset you." Daisy said innocently.

"I just hate it when you bring up what I did to you. We've only spoken about it a couple of times, but whenever we do, I can't help but feel like a monster." He said.

After that was said, he raised his head to see Daisy glaring at him. Her skinny arms were crossed.

The sun was beginning to set under the horizon. The world's light faded as the night's darkness crept up.

"Well, stop!" Daisy shouted. "Stop thinking of yourself as a monster. You've done some horrible things, sure, but quit thinking that those things define your entire character."

"How can I not?!" He snapped back. "I am a torturer, a murderer, and a rapist. I raped _you_! But you still love me, just as much as I'm in love with you. How is that _not_ fucked up? How can you love me?"

"Because I _love_ you! It's as simple as that Jason!" She responded with a raised voice.

"But _why_?" He asked once again.

"Because we share a special connection to each other. Something that I didn't share with your brother. I've always felt drawn to you ever since we first shook hands all those years ago. It's the exact same that you felt for me the moment that we first touched." Daisy said.

Jason responded. "Just because we share a goddamn magical or telepathic or whatever kind of connection, shouldn't have been reason enough for you to let me become your lover. To let me into your home, into your life."

"Not after you saw what kind of man I truly am." He added.

"Jason… I understand that you did some things that you're not proud of, but you needed to do those things in order to save us." She told him.

"That's not what I'm talking about." He clarified.

"I meant what I did to you on that boat." He said. Almost swallowing his words.

"Don't apologize for that I understand why you did what you did to me." She said.

"Daisy… I… enjoyed it. And… I did it on purpose." Jason turned his eyes away from her and down to the jungle floor.

He couldn't manage to gather the strength to look into her eyes as he said it.

"What? I don't understand. Jason… what do you mean?" Daisy sounded puzzled.

"I haven't ever told you this. I hoped that if I never thought about that moment, then it would just go away. But whenever I remember what kind of man I was at that exact moment… it sickens me." He said honestly.

Daisy didn't respond. So, Jason continued.

"The whole time that the pirates were leading me down the hallway to your holding cell, I was planning our escape. Thinking quickly in the moment and carefully strategizing my next moves, was something that I developed to great effect." He began. Pausing for a brief moment after.

He began again. "But when I got to you, and saw your naked body… my plan changed."

_The cat's out of the bag now. _

_There's no going back now. _

_No use in being vague with my words._

_No…_

_I'm going to tell her._

_Tell her what I should've told her all those years ago._

"In my own mind, I had already formulated an escape plan. I had mapped out exactly how I would kill the small group of pirates standing near the two of us. I figured that I only had about fifteen seconds to hide you away and out of the gunfight before the rest of them showed up to fight me. After I had killed them all, I was going to find you some clothes, and we would escape back to our friends." Jason explained to her.

"Jason…" She began.

"But something dark inside me switched on." Jason spoke up, stopping Daisy from continuing. "The pirates said that I '_had to fuck you or else_', but I didn't have to. Not after I had thought out my plan."

"Please Jason, what are you trying to say to me." Daisy sounded like she was about to choke on her words. It was clear that she didn't want to hear what was coming.

This would be the most difficult thing that Jason could ever say to her.

Jason didn't respond immediately. But now the moment came.

"It was _my_ choice. I _choose_ to fuck you. The monster side took over control of my body, and some sick animalistic urge for me to have you, to take you as mine… to force myself on you." Jason said as he struggled to get out each word.

She didn't make any response.

_Say something, please._

_Anything. _

_Tell me your sickened by me. Tell me that you hate me. Tell me I'm a monster. _

_I know that I deserve it. _

"Why didn't you ever tell me about this?" She finally spoke up and broke the silence.

"Because you are the only person in the entire world that helps me keep my sanity. I was too afraid of you leaving me if you ever heard me tell you the truth." Jason said.

Tears started to fill his eyes.

"And I couldn't go on living with myself knowing that you thought of me as a monster. Since I love you so much." He said as he began to cry.

He couldn't gather the gumption to look up at her. To see her reaction.

"All these years, you believed that what I did to you, wasn't of my own intention. But it _was_ my choice to do that to you. If I would have told you the truth right after we had escaped, you probably would have left me here on this island while you went back home with everyone else." Jason sniffled.

He wiped his face. Brushing aside his tears.

With each word that he spoke, Jason felt more and more disgust with himself.

His voice shook as he continued on. "And I wouldn't have blamed you. I wouldn't have tried to save me if I were you. I was about to jump off of that cliff before you found me and talked me out of it. None of the horrible things that I had done in the last few weeks before that day, were bad enough for me to contemplate suicide. But after I had come to my senses, it felt like it was the only way to make things right. I had just raped the woman who I had been secretly in love with since the moment that I'd met her. My _brother's_ girlfriend. The one woman that I shouldn't be in love with. It was all just _too_ much. I wanted to end it all by jumping off of that cliff."

Another moment of silence passed.

And then another.

And another.

_Please say something, Daisy_.

_Maybe I'm supposed to be the one that talks first. _

"I-I'm… Daisy… I am sorry." He said weakly. "I'm sorry for _everything_. Sorry for what I did to you, and for not telling you the truth. You, more than anyone, deserve to know."

Daisy hadn't spoken for a while now, so Jason lifted his head to see if she was still standing there.

Her face's blank expression confused Jason.

"So you didn't have to have sex with me in front of those sick fuckers? Is that what your trying to say?" She asked. With an unreadable expression on her face.

"Yes." Jason responded stupidly.

Daisy's facial expression switched to one of disappointment and disgust.

And fury.

She shouted at him. "Why the hell did you degrade me like that! Those sick pirates enjoyed watching you stick your tongue inside of me! They got off on that!"

"Daisy-" Jason attempted to speak, but Daisy's continuous talking didn't relent enough for him.

She furiously continued. "I didn't resist you at all. The whole time you were inside of me, I was thinking that you didn't want it any more than I did."

Jason took a couple steps closer to her. He wanted to hold her.

_You're a fucking idiot Jason._

_Do you really think that she'll want you anywhere near her? _

_No, not after you admitted to being a fucking rapist. _

As he got within arm's reach of her, Jason reached out his hand.

"Daisy…" He began.

"Don't _you_ touch me!" She slapped his hand away.

Her slap didn't hurt him very much. Not physically, anyway.

"I let you put your cock inside me, thinking that you had a plan to get us oou! But you kept going until you came inside me! You just wanted to fuck me!" She angrily expressed.

"I told you, it wasn't _me_ that did that to you. It was my other half. My monster half." He tried to explain.

Hoping that if he could place the blame of his actions on his monster side, then Jason wouldn't feel so bad about it.

"That's bullshit! And you know it Jason!" She screamed at him. "Quit using your _monster_ side as your scapegoat. And stop pretending like you can't overpower it."

"But I _couldn't_ control myself." He explained, in a poor attempt to justify himself. "I had desired you for over a year, but all the while knowing that you were my brother's girlfriend. I wanted to have sex with you since I had first met you. And you were always on my mind."

"Seeing me naked and defenseless got you aroused? Didn't it?!" She growled at him.

_I don't know you to respond._

_Whatever I say will just make things even worse._

"Before I had started fucking you… I was having conflicting thoughts inside of my mind." Jason sighed. "I was thinking that it was wrong for me to have sex with you. To put on a show for those pirates. I didn't need to anyway."

He stopped for a couple of seconds. Not wanting for this talk to continue. He wanting to go back in time and stop himself from telling Daisy the truth.

But he was at the point of no return now.

Jason resumed. "When that big pirate, Jay, pulled out his pistol to threaten us, I could have just snatched it out of his hand. I could have fired off enough shots to kill every single pirate inside of the room."

"So then why didn't you?!" She asked.

He answered. "Because, at the time, I had also assumed that the two off us might die that day. And if it was going to be our last day on earth, I might as well have sex with you. Because I was in love with you."

"In love with me!?" Daisy exclaimed. "If you _really_ loved me, then you wouldn't have raped me like that! Do you think that I wanted to have sex with you while those fucking perverts watched us?"

The way that Daisy stared at him, made his heart melt inside of his chest.

"No, I didn't." Jason said honestly. "I was a selfish piece of shit. And I'm sorry. My conscious told me that what I was doing was wrong, but-"

She stopped him in mid-sentence.

"You should have listened to it!" Daisy screamed at him.

Jason hadn't ever seen her this angry before.

"I felt like some dirty whore the whole time those pirates watched us! I looked at their eyes, and they enjoyed watching you lick me with your tongue. And the hooting and howling noises that they made as you stuck your penis inside, made me sick to my stomach!" She shouted at Jason.

She added. "The only reason that I could get wet, was because I loved you! And I would rather have you fuck me than get gang raped by those fucking pirates!"

"I held back my tears as I watched their eyes stare at us! The noises they made as you thrust your erection back and forth inside me!" Daisy was starting to cry.

But she kept talking. "And the worst part… was when you ejaculated inside of me! Because I knew… I knew that since you had just finished, there wasn't any excuse for the pirates to _not_ start raping me! They Just wanted a little entertainment before they started raping me!

"I'm not stupid Jason." She managed to say. Stopping her tears for only a moment to do so. "But now that I know that you could've prevented all of that humiliation… I… I… God, Jason!"

Jason couldn't stand to see her cry.

"Daisy… you'll never know how much I regret what I did to you. And… I am so sorry." He started to slowly walk up to her.

_Just let me hold you. _

_Let's forget all about this. _

_Let's pretend like it never happened._

It only took a few seconds for Jason to reach his crying lover. But that short amount of time felt like an eternity to him.

She must have heard him get up close to her, as Daisy lifted up her head. Letting her hands fall from her face and looked at Jason.

"Goddammit Jason! Stop! Don't come any closer to me!" Daisy waved her right arm at him, trying to shoo him away.

Jason felt like an animal, because the way that Daisy shooed him away, was the same way that one would to a wild dog.

Every step forward that he took towards her, Daisy would take one backwards. Away from him.

"Please. Tell me how I can make this right." Jason was desperate. "What can I do to fix things between us."

"Stop!" Daisy's shout halted Jason from walking.

He came to a dead stop.

"I want you to leave me _alone_!" She put great emphasis on that last word.

"But Daisy I-" Jason was stopped mid-sentence.

"Just… I-I can't… I can't talk to you right now. I don't even want to look at you." She told him.

She added. "And I don't know if I'll ever want to see you again."

"Please… please don't say that." Jason's had trouble speaking, as his throat tightened.

And then he started crying again.

"I had thought that you were a good man, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe I shouldn't be in love with you anymore."

Jason was heartbroken at her words.

With that said, Daisy turned her back to him and bent down to pick up her backpack.

It was clear to Jason that she was about to walk back to the fisherman's house back at the village.

Alone.

Leaving him behind.

With her backpack slung over her shoulders, Daisy began to walk back down the road that they came in on.

_I can't lose you Daisy_

_I need you. _

_You're all that I'll ever need. _

_You're the only reason for me to get up in the morning._

_They only reason for me to go on living. _

"Daisy… I need you. Without you… I'm nothing more than a monster. You're the only one who makes me feel like Jason. I'm sorry… sorry for everything. Please… stay with me." He pleaded.

She ignored his pleas as she didn't stop walking.

"If I could go back, I'd stop myself from hurting you. I shouldn't have humiliated you like that. I know it was wrong!" He wailed.

His words didn't faze Daisy in the slightest way. But she did stop walking just long enough to reply to him.

She turned around. "Do you know the difference between right and wrong? Because, the Jason that I fell in love with, he did, and _he_ was a hero. But now… I don't know who _you_ are."

After she spoke her piece, Daisy turned her back to him, and continued alone down the dirt road.

"Please Daisy. Don't leave me forever." Jason fell to his knees.

She slowed down some. "I'll travel back home on the plane with you. But I don't know if I want you living with me anymore."

Her words were becoming less and less audible as she walked further away from Jason.

The last thing she said to him was. "Don't follow me back, I don't want to see you again tonight. Find some other village to sleep in tonight. I need time away from you."

No matter what words he used, it wouldn't make the situation any better for him. So, he sat there, with his knees down on the jungle floor.

Jason felt the cold and wet jungle earth slowly soak into the denim fibers of his blue jeans, as he knelt there for a long while. Long enough for the sun to disappear over the horizon.

Long enough that Daisy was no longer in his line of sight.

/

* * *

(An hour or so later)

Jason hadn't moved from where he knelt. He couldn't move. He didn't feel like moving.

His mind was racing through so many thoughts at once.

Moonlight was shining through the clear night sky.

A full moon.

Jason looked up at it.

"Daisy loves full moons." He said out loud to himself. "We like to sit outside on our backyard patio and stare up at the moon whenever it's full."

Jason felt his sanity starting to go. Being replaced with insanity.

"Now I'm talking to myself." He commented.

His knees were sore as he rose to his feet.

He started to walk along the hidden pathway to the cave. The cave that he had shared with Daisy years back. Where he kept her safe.

Where he slept beside her at nights, holding onto her skinny body. Protecting her as she slept.

"No… no…" He said out loud. "It was my job to protect her. But I've only ever harmed her."

He had carefully skirted alongside the narrow surface jutting out the side of the cliff, until he reached the mouth of the cave.

"This is as good a place as any to sleep in." He said.

_Something's wrong with me. _

_Rapist,_

_Torturer,_

_Murderer,_

_That's all I have to offer Daisy. _

_She deserves a better man in her life._

_Not a monster. _

_Not… _"_Me_"

/

* * *

(To Be Continued)

**A/N: **Leave a review if you want to. Or not.


	14. Chapter 14: It's Cold When You're Lonely

**A/N:** Daisy is the _Point Of View_ character. I forgot some details of chapters 3-7 of _Heal My Insanity_. I will retcon/include those details in here, as well as add new ones in a flashback.

Chapter 14: {_It's Cold When You're Lonely_}

* * *

/

(Two Hours Later)

Daisy kept tossing and turning, unable to get comfortable enough to sleep. It wasn't because she was laying a top an old mattress in a hot and humid climate.

No, it was something else.

_Do I feel guilty? _

_No… why should I? _

_I did nothing wrong. _

Daisy was grateful that the fisherman offered his hospitality, giving her a place to spend the night. And it was most likely the nicest accommodation that she would get on this island.

But she had been fidgeting under her blanket for over an hour now. Something was preventing her from relaxing.

_Is it because I don't have Jason sleeping beside me?_

_Holding me tight._

Daisy scoffed at the very thought.

_After I uncovered the truth about him… how could I even want Jason sleeping next to me? _

_An admitted rapist? That's who I'm in love with?_

_I might just be going crazy. _

Sweat covered her pale skin.

She grunted in frustration.

Frustration with everything.

With this little vacation away from home. With trying to sleep. With this blazing jungle humidity, making her clothes stick to her skin.

With… Jason.

The old tee-shirt that she wore was clinging to her skin.

Unwilling to deal with it any longer, Daisy quickly pulled the shirt up over her head, and threw it across the room.

Her white bra and panties were the only thing still on her body.

But she continued tussling with that old blanket the fisherman had given her.

For a few minutes, she attempted to sleep without that old blanket covering her body.

It was certainly an improvement, as she felt her body become cooler and cooler.

But after a few minutes, she was _too_ cold. The small amount of sweat on her skin quickly cooled, causing her to shiver.

_I'm just cold because I am not used to sleeping alone. _

_Jason always sleeps beside me in my bed. _

_And regardless if I'm holding on to him or he's holding on to me, we keep each other warm throughout the night. _

_Dammit Daisy. You shouldn't think like that. _

_You might decide to end your relationship with Jason, and then he'll have to move out of your house, and then you won't have anyone sleeping in your bed with you. _

_So you might as well start getting used to the feeling of sleeping alone. _

Ever since daisy had walked away from Jason, she hadn't been able to come to a decision.

Part of her was sickened with Jason and wanted him out of her life.

But they had also been through _so_ much together. From sleeping in the same cave together, fighting pirates, and the years of comforting each other whenever they felt sadness and depression.

And Daisy couldn't ever forget that it had been Jason who'd saved her life three times.

It was him who brought her the mushrooms that saved her from dying from poison. He'd chosen to break free of Citra's control, and chose not to kill his friends, as Citra wanted him to do. And saving her from those pirates.

Jumping into the water after her.

Daisy started recalling that day in detail.

_Yeah, but once we got kidnapped and taken to their boat, Jason chose to take advantage of me. _

_And his excuse was that it was his monster side that made him do it. _

_That's complete bullshit. _

_He always acts like he can't stop himself from becoming a monster. Like he can't win the battle between good and evil raging inside of his mind. _

_He said it himself. Jason could have simply killed those pirates and gotten me out of there. He even physically fought back, punching and grappling with those pirates._

_I saw him do it. I saw him fight back._

_Was that just for show? Did he just want me to think that he was overpowered by those goons? _

_If it was just all an act, it sure was convincing. _

_All of these years… I thought that he hadn't had a choice. _

_But Jason had been able to kill dozens of pirates all by himself before. So why the hell couldn't he take out just a handful of them? _

_Well, it's so obvious now. He was planning on fucking me as soon as I got offered up to him. _

_Maybe I've been lying to myself about the type of man Jason really is. _

Daisy's frustration was weighing heavily on her conscious. She grunted with her teeth clinched tightly together.

"I don't know what to do. Should I forgive him. Or let him go. After all he admitted what he did." She spoke out loud.

All her life, whenever Daisy was struggling with something, she would start talking to herself. Although she made sure that no one ever saw her having a conversation with herself.

Because she didn't want people to think of her as a crazy woman. But talking with herself really did help her.

The only reason that she was even able to repair that boat, was because she had long and constructive conversations with herself whenever Liza and Jason were out of earshot.

_I wonder if Jason knows this about me. _

_Oh Jason… _

_How is it even possible that I hate you and love you at the same time? _

_Am I becoming one of those women who have an unhealthy addiction to their abusive boyfriends? _

_Jason isn't an abusive man. _

_He hasn't ever verbally or physically abused me. _

_And I am not going to count that one night when he almost strangled me. _

_That wasn't him. His dream was so real that he couldn't distinguish it from reality. _

_The horror and sadness in his eyes…_

_I knew that it wasn't his fault. _

_He has always loved me. Our nights are spent together. He holds me, tells me he loves me, kisses me with real passion. _

_Things are different now. I hadn't known then what I know now. _

_I can still see the faces of those pirates as their eyes devoured me. _

_And that one big pirate, how he fondled my boobs and forcibly kissed me on the lips. _

_As soon as they led me down into the lower level of the ship, I feared the what most likely was going to happen. _

_But I still grasp onto some tiny bit of hope. _

_Hope that the brigands wouldn't rape me._

_Hope that my best friend, Jason, my knight in shining armor, would swoop in to save me. His princess, captured and locked inside the tower. And after I had been saved, I would kiss him on the cheek, and on the lips. Then I would then tell him how much I loved him. _

_And… how much I was in love with him. _

_And we could finally be together as a couple. The way it should have always been. _

_I will always love and miss Grant, but it was Jason whom I'd developed a magical connection to. _

_And it was obvious that Jason was going to end things with Liza._

_Then we would have our fairy tale ending._

_But what happened, wasn't a fairy tale. _

_This princess was forced at gunpoint to strip off her clothes. _

_A dozen or so pirates led me down from the ship's deck and through a barely lit hallway. They threw me into an empty room. _

_The only furnishing in the entire room, was an old mattress. _

_The mattress's purpose for being there, was obvious. _

_One by one, the pirates left the room as they exited through the doorway. All except for two of them. _

_A devilish grin formed on the face of the pirate that was closest to me. The pervert._

_The other one stood as a silent sentry, with a blank expression, leaning his back against the wall. _

_The door was then closed from the outside. Steel scraped against steel as the old metal locks squeaked. _

_No escape now. _

"_Take your clothes off right now missy." I remember the pervert saying to me, as I stood there shaking. _

_Fear yanked my heart out of my body. So much fear. I was too scared to continue with my tough girl attitude. _

_Offering up any resistance to these men would only result in me ending up with even more beatings and bruises than I was already going to get. _

_So, I switched my attitude to one of a frightened and innocent little girl._

_I can remember myself meekly begging the pervert pirate "Please, can't I leave my underwear on?" _

_That request only made the perverted pirate's grin grow even larger, as his eyes fill with sick fantasies. "Oh no, no, no. I want to stare at your tits. Hmm… but… I might give you your panties back… after." _

_He started walking up even closer to me. _

_I noticed that he didn't hold a gun in his hands or in a holster. Not even a knife anywhere on his person. _

_For a brief moment, I thought that maybe I could knock him out or kill him somehow. But I quickly disregarded that idea. _

_There wasn't any way that my skinny body could overpower him. In addition to my weaker frame, the pirate standing by the door did have a rifle in his hands. A rifle that he was lazily pointing in my direction. _

_He would have shot me before I could even lay a hand on the pervert. _

"_I said… TAKE OFF YOUR CLOTHES!" The pervert pirate had switched to an intimidating voice. _

_Intimidating enough that I jumped excitedly. _

"_And don't even try anything stupid. If you do… oh… I might have to punish you." He added as he licked his lips. _

"_Fine! You fucking creep. I'll take off my clothes." I tried to sound tougher than I felt. _

_Wanting to prolong getting nude for as long as possible, I had started pulling my shoes and socks off. I threw my discarded footwear down in front of me. _

"_Hurry up… you bitch!" The pervert pirate made my body jump again. _

_It took everything, all my willpower, not to cry at this moment. _

_Next, I unbuttoned my blue jeans, but I chose not to take them off just yet. _

_Suddenly, I had thought about my yellow bandana. The one that had belonged to Grant. I had been wearing it around my wrist ever since I learned of his death._

_Wearing it helped me. It made me feel like a small part of Grant was still with me. _

_It was gone. _

_When I had been pulled off of our escape boat, it probably fell off in the scuffle. _

_Now it was gone forever. _

_Losing my yellow bandana… saddened me. But I was about to go through much, much worse. _

"_Faster!" That pervert commanded me. _

"_Fuck off." I clenched my teeth tightly together as I glared at him. _

_No matter what I said to him, it made no noticeable difference in his constitution. This was most likely his profession, forcing women to get naked in front of him as he drooled. _

_Like a dog slobbering before they're given a treat. _

_Native local women were probably his usual victims. _

_The few women that I had seen on these islands, were a few inches shorter than me. And they obviously had a mildly tanner and copper colored skin. _

_But I've always thought that skin tone was very beautiful._

_Santa Monica, my hometown, had a large Hispanic population. And they were all well integrated with the rest of our town. _

_Funnily enough, I remember Jason telling me that his first girlfriend ever, was a girl from his high school. A girl whose parents had moved to America from Mexico when she was only three years old._

_What did he tell me her name was? Maria? Mariana? Mari? _

_Maybe I will ask him again. _

_That is, only if I decide to take him back after our fight._

_I had many Hispanic girls as friends over the years. They were all so beautiful. Their dark hair and their tanned skin had some kind of indescribable beauty about it. _

_When me and the others went on this little vacation of ours across southeast Asia and the pacific, I loved observing the various local women and how they dressed, wherever we went. Whether or not we went to the Philippines, Vietnam, or Thailand, the women there always surprised me. _

_Some kind of exotic old-world beauty about those women, fascinated me. As I was enamored with the way that they found so much joy with the little things in life. The same things that I've taken for granted._

_I was so happy whenever I had returned back to my small little house in Santa Monica… especially after all the tragedy that I had endured in only a couple of weeks. _

_My experiences… I had learned a valuable lesson. I promised myself that I would start to appreciate all the tiny and seemingly insignificant things that I had in my life._

_And I decided that Jason was my soulmate. Nothing was keeping us from being together anymore. _

_But I would need to continue acting out my tragedy, regardless of how much I didn't want to be an actress in this play. And then I would get my fairy tale._

_Being a white skinned and blonde-haired girl from America, I might have been the most exotic woman that this fucking perv pirate had ever looked upon._

_I pulled my pants down to my ankles. And kicked my discarded jeans in the pervert's direction. A feeble gesture. They simply landed on top of his shoes, and he effortlessly flung them across the room with a kick. _

"_Now… now we're going to see the good stuff." The pervert's mouth slobbered. _

_My tank-top was the last piece of clothing on my body. _

_For the briefest of moments, I hesitated. _

"_Did I tell you to stop?" The perverted pirate was almost drooling at me. _

Daisy stopped remembering momentarily. She was _too_ cold now.

Her arms scrunched up to her chest. But it was still to chilly, so then threw the blanket over her body once again.

As her arms pressed tightly against her breasts, she began to feel warmer.

Not as warm as she would be if Jason was holding her.

Trying to get herself even warmer, she pretended that her own arms were Jason's. Imagining that he was pressing his chest up against her bare back. Wrapping one of his strong arms around his skinny waist.

Kissing her on the neck and telling her how much he loved her, and how he was the luckiest man in the entire universe.

Every single day that they had been romantically involved he would tell her those two things. Never missing a single day.

Sometimes he would whisper those words into her ear as they woke up in the morning. Doing that would cause Daisy to smile, and turn over to plant a kiss on his lips.

Other times, Jason kissed her on the lips and would tell her right before she left the house for work.

But he always told her.

Always.

Daisy spoke out loud. "I know that he _really_ is in love with me. But he raped me, and admitted it. Admitted that he did it intentionally and enjoyed it."

Frustrated grunts emerged from her mouth.

She wanted to scream as loud as humanly possible. Only, she didn't want anyone to hear her.

Unable to hold back, Daisy buried her face into the old feather pillow, and screamed as loud as she could. Hoping to at least muffle the sound enough that no one would hear.

She screamed until her throat was sore.

Daisy stopped and began panting.

Out of breath and out of screams, Daisy plopped her head sideways back on top of the pillow.

Elevated heart beats rushed the blood to Daisy's ears. She could hear the thumping of her heart beating inside of her ear as it pressed against the thin white pillow cover.

Anger and frustration turned to crying.

"Stop crying Daisy. Just… stop." She said trying to convince herself to halt her tears.

Her body listened to her verbal command, but didn't stop her tears from coming completely. But she now only shed a few tears here and there very gradually.

The horrible memories filled her head again.

_As I lifted my shirt up over my head, I could just make out the sound coming from the pirate's mouth. He was moaning and grunting like some sort of caveman. _

"_Would you just shut the hell up already? Here… take my shirt then." I threw my discarded tank-top with such speed that the pervert couldn't react fast enough. _

_Probably because his eyes were bulging out of his skull as he looked at my nearly nude body._

_My shirt hit him square in the face. _

"_Ugh, dammit." The perv reacted. Something that I found funny. Even though I was currently in the most ironically unfunny situation possible. _

_It took everything for me to swallow the laugh that I had in my mouth. I couldn't let it escape from my mouth._

_I knew that if he heard me laugh, then the sadist would probably beat me black and blue. But a smile had begun to form across my face. _

_My lips clenched tight together, but it was too little too late._

_He had seen the smile on my face. _

_Dammit. Now I was going to get it. _

_In the blink of an eye, the pirate had stepped up close enough to land a powerful backhand across the right side of my face. _

"_Bitch!" He cursed at me as I hit the cold hard floor. _

_Pain coursed through my right arm, as I had instinctively stretched them out to cushion my decent. _

_My elbow slammed against the floor. I quickly rolled onto my back and held my tortured elbow with my other hand. _

"_You are such a beauty, that I was going to treat you nicely. But that's changed. I'll make sure that the rest of your life is filled with misery and regret. You'll regret pissing me off!" The pirate said. _

_The pervert then walked up to me and pulled on my long blonde hair. The pain from the hair pulling, soon overcame the pain from my elbow. _

_He pulled me along with him as he guided me to that old and dirty mattress. I did my best to keep in step with him. That way, I could get closer to him and he wouldn't need to pull my hair so hard._

_As I walked hunchbacked over to the mattress, I ended up tripping over my own foot and tumbling to the floor. Almost dragging the pirate down with me. _

_My accidental fumbling angered the man even more. _

"_Get up you fucking whore." He commanded through clenched teeth. _

_So I did as he commanded. He was still gripping my hair with his hand, but I jumped to my feet as quickly as I could so that he wouldn't yank on my hair as hard._

_The two of us reached the mattress. I was thrown down face first onto the mattress. I was ironically thankful that the mattress was at least soft, unlike the hard floor I had landed on just seconds ago. _

_I lifted my head up to see the other pirate still standing beside the door. Still silently staring at me. Only now, he slowly raised the muzzle of his rifle directly at my face. _

_Looking more than willing to fire off a round into my skull. _

_Suddenly, I felt warm breath up against the still sore right side of my face. I heard the pervert pirate whisper into my ear. _

"_Don't you dare move an inch." His hot breath blew into my ear and I could feel him spit up spittle as he spoke. _

_He was clearly angry. _

"_Fine. Whatever. Just go on and do whatever it is you were going to do to me, and get it over with. I'm sick and tired of you." I said trying my utmost to sound steadfast and unafraid of what this sicko had planned for me. _

_Truthfully, I regretted what I had said. I couldn't possibly know what these sick fucking pirates were capable of doing to a defenseless woman. Judging from the composure of this one sicko, he might not have been the worst one on that ship. _

_The others could have been even worse than this motherfucker. _

_He speedily un-clasped my bra and yanked it up from one end. The elastic skid across my breasts, giving me a stinging pain. _

_Next, I felt his creepy and hard-skinned finger grope at my tender skin on my upper hips. _

_I could hear him moan creepily as he tucked his fingers under my underwear and pulled them very slowly down my legs. _

_Now I was completely nude. _

_And fearing what came next. _

_Without saying anything, the creep began to bound my hands together behind my back. The old twine rope used was made from the most scratchy and uncomfortable material imaginable. _

"_I'm going to have a little fun with you now." The Neanderthal grunted. _

_There was nothing I could do. Fighting back would only make my rape worse. Or I would be killed. _

_No winning for me. _

_I had no idea where Jason was. My knight. The only person who could possibly save me. _

_But he didn't appear. _

_I thought that this was it for me. _

_But then I was saved from rape by the most unlikely hero I could have had. _

_Knighthood didn't suit this hero, as he wore his commoner garments. An unlikely hero indeed. _

_Calling him a hero, that's quite a stretch. _

"_Hey!" The silent pirate spoke up. "Boss said that she wasn't allowed to be raped. He has special plans for her." _

"_Goddammit!" The pervert stood up from where he had been crouching down. _

_He continued to voice his opposition. "Why the hell didn't you tell me this earlier? Now my day is ruined!" _

_The other pirate went back to his silent demeanor. He didn't answer vocally. Only giving the pervert a shrug of his shoulders. Indicating his lack of a proper answer. _

_I had been spared for the time being. _

_No rape._

_No more beatings. _

_Only silent waiting. _

_But I had no clue what I had been supposed to be expecting._

_After what seemed like hours, Jason finally showed up. _

_My heart leaped with joy. _

_Surely, he was going to rescue me. _

_Right?_

_No. _

_Not according to what he just told me a mere two hours ago. _

She tossed and turned every thirty seconds, incapable of obtaining comfort. Daisy was either too hot or too cold.

Too mad at Jason. Too in love with Jason and wishing he was holding her in his arms.

Too conflicted to sleep.

Conflicted about wanting the same man that admitted to raping her, sleeping peacefully beside her.

Daisy found this to be inappropriately funny.

A burst of laughter came from her mouth. So quick and unexpected that she covered her giggling mouth with the palm of her hand. Although she continued her muffled laughing for a few more seconds.

"You're crazy. Crazy Daisy. I sure am." She joked out loud.

"I'm definitely insane for loving Jason. It seems that neither one of us were destined for a normal life." She sighed. "My life has been like a plot for a ridiculous Hollywood movie.

She stopped to catch her breath. Her eruption of laughter had stolen the wind out of her lungs.

Winded from speaking, Daisy rolled over onto her other side. And then exhaled. Exhausted, and overwhelmed.

_He said to me, that a dark power took over his heart and soul. That It wasn't really him that was in control when he raped me, but the monster living inside of him. _

_The same monster that came out that one night, and wrapped its hands around Daisy's neck. _

_The same monster that showed up at my friends party several years ago. When Jason got so mad that he grabbed hold of that drunk guys collar and looked like he was just about to beat him to death over his drunken comments. _

_The monster that harasses Jason with its taunts and provoking's. A voice inside of his head, make the line between right and wrong go fuzzy until it can't be seen anymore. _

_I know the real Jason. _

_At least… I used to._

_His time spent in these islands. The time spent doing horrible things just to survive and to save his friends. _

_It had to have changed him. _

_Changed him for the worst. _

_And he may not ever be that same guy that I knew from the past. _

_The same guy that would make me laugh and tell me how much he loved the flowers in my backyard garden whenever we were alone at parties. _

_And the man who caught me as I fell down during my half-drunken dancing at that Asian nightclub. _

_Grant never knew that I was in love with his brother. _

_A man who shared something special with me. _

_I'm still very much in love with Jason. The good Jason, the charming Jason, the kind Jason, and the caring Jason. _

_But what happens if the monster Jason comes out? Just like it did that one night. _

_Luckily for me, Jason was able to stop himself from strangling before he killed me. _

_Someday, he might snap and go into an uncontrollable rage. _

_And who can say how much damage he will do before he regains control over himself? What if he doesn't ever regain control? _

_What if I can't protect myself if he ends up choking me another time, accidentally, just because he had just woken up from another nightmare? _

_Choking my neck until he kills me. _

All of these things were too painful for Daisy to continue to think about. She attempted to shove these thoughts out of her head.

Maybe if she forgot everything and had a good night's sleep, she could come to a decision in the morning.

"I don't know if I want him as my lover any longer. Not after hearing the truth. He knows right and wrong, and yet he chose to take advantage of me. Even though he could have killed those pirates." Daisy repeated out loud the same thing that she had thought about over and over again.

Dragging her feet. Unable to pull the trigger and end things with Jason.

She begun lean towards ending things with Jason.

Daisy spoke again, reinforcing her opinion. "He could have told me the truth years ago. But he hid it from me. In his mind, he probably doesn't consider it lying. But I do. Not telling me is the same as lying to me."

She wanted to cry. But she controlled her emotions.

"I can't cry now." She said firmly. "I need to be resolute. Things are over with Jason and me. And I have to stand by my decision. If I start to cry, then I will start to doubt myself. No changing my mind. I'm not going to crawl back to the man who raped me."

"No matter how much I love him." She was unable stop herself from crying.

Holding her mouth as she sobbed.

_I'm sorry Jason. Staying together… looking into your eyes… would only serve as a constant reminder of how you hurt me._

_You regret your actions, but regret isn't enough. _

_I cannot forget those pirates' faces as pushed your penis back and forth inside of me. _

_You humiliated me. Made me feel like a porn-star with the whole world seeing me completely nude and getting fucked. _

_Like a slut without a shred of dignity. _

_Did you not consider how I felt about it? Were you just too caught up in the ecstasy and thrill of finally getting to have sex with the girl of your dreams, that the girl's feelings didn't matter? _

_It took everything I had, all my strength, not to cry as they watched the two of us. _

_You told me that you figured that we were both very likely to die that day. Our last day on this earth. So you wanted to accomplish one final desire._

_The greatest desire of your life. _

_Me._

_Something that you couldn't have ever even hoped of achieving, not as long as your own brother was alive. _

_Fortunately for you, your brother wasn't with us any longer. _

_You got your wish._

_You got… me. _

_And that was your choice Jason. You weren't forced to do that._

_I longed to have you make love to me. But while we were alone. _

_But I have self-control. I would rather have died that day than have sex with you in front of a crowd of horny pirates. Encircling us like a pack of wild wolves closing in around a rabbit._

_That's how I felt._

_A rabbit with nowhere to run, with no way of escaping their unfortunate fate. _

_You could have saved me from that feeling. _

_That scraggly gang of pirates should have been no match for you. You were one of the most efficient killers that the world had ever seen. _

_What was the largest number of pirates or mercenaries that you'd killed during a firefight? Ten? Twenty? Fifty? _

_You've surely killed at least fifty pirates before in a single day. _

_And yet, I was dumb enough to believe that less than a dozen pirates in a single room were too much for you to take out?_

_Stupid me. _

_Why did I honestly believe that you were forced to have sex with me?_

_As skilled a killer as you were, you could've easily snatched a gun from one of them as they led you down the hallway to my holding cell. After you'd taken one of their guns, I would have heard several shots fired off in quick succession, and then you would have walked through the doorway into my room. _

"_I am here Daisy." You'd say as you entered. Then you would obviously have seen that I was naked. _

"_Oh sorry. I didn't know that you… uh-were… I-well-um… meant-uh." You would stammer at seeing me nude for the first time._

"_No time for all of that." I'd tell you. "We have to escape! Untie me, and I'll find myself some clothes while you kill the rest of them. Then we'll go. Hurry!" _

_And after we'd escape together, you would tell me that you are in love with me. I would reply to your proclamation of love, by telling you that I too was in love with you. _

_Then, finally, we could have lived happily ever after. Just the way it should have always been. Our destiny. _

_But you ruined that. _

_Jason, I too had fantasized about you making love with me. For over a year, I had dreams at night of our lips pressing together. _

_On several occasions, on several nights, I had a reoccurring dream. _

_Dreamt several times of us laying naked beside one another on a beach, watching the sun drift below the ocean horizon. We hold each other's hands. You'd tell me that I was all that mattered to you. That I was your whole world. _

_All alone. No one else around on that beach._

_No one around to tell us that it is wrong for us to be in love. _

_But wanting to make love with you was the last thing that I wanted at that moment._

_Those pirates are all dead. All the people who witnessed us fucking on top of that mattress, aren't around anymore. And know one will ever know what happened on that pirate ship. _

_Just you and me. Well, Liza knows. But she's someone I can trust. _

_Because I don't know if I can trust you ever again._

_Trust that you won't hurt me._

_Guilt must have chewed at your conscious, and you weren't able to hide it away from me anymore. _

_Which is what you had me believing all these years. That you had no choice in the matter. _

_Dwelling on my indecision will only make it hurt more. I'm going to get it over with. Rip this metaphorical bandage off quickly, rather than slowly peel it off my skin. _

_We're through Jason. _

_I can't trust you anymore. _

_My connection with you doesn't factor in. You simply hurt me too bad. _

_Part of me will still love you, always. I might even long for you to make love to me, but I have to restrict myself. Allowing you back into my life romantically, will only set me up to get hurt all over again. _

_How can I know if you've hidden anything else from me? And I we're together, I will discover that secret, and will be hurt over you hiding it from me. Just a repeat of what just happened. _

_But I'm not going to be your girlfriend, your lover, your… Daisy, any longer. _

_I'll let you live in my house until you've found another place to live. But you won't sleep in my bed. The couch will provide you with an adequate spot to sleep. _

_Only, there won't be anyone holding onto you and keeping you warm at night. Just as there won't be anyone holding me as I sleep. _

_I will have to go back to sleeping with clothes on. _

_Don't take too long in finding another place to live, please Jason? The more days and nights that pass without you sleeping with me, and knowing that you're just sleeping right down the hall…_

She sighed.

_Well, that will just urge me to crawl up beside you, and let you cuddle me in your arms. _

_And I can't let those events transpire. Otherwise I would fall into an unhealthy yearning for you. Like those battered wives who choose not to leave their violent husband. _

_That's how it would feel. Only without the violence. _

_It's time._

_Time for me to find you, and tell you that things are over between us._

_And I am pretty sure I know where I can find you._

_I'll be there soon Jason. _

Daisy got to her feet. Finding her scattered clothes in various spots across the room, she quickly got dressed.

Her light kaki cargo shorts and white tee-shirt were hastily thrown over her body. Not the most elegant clothing, but she didn't really care how she looked.

Daisy was going on a hike through a jungle, not on a romantic date with Jason.

No fancy clothing. Only practical clothing.

After all, Daisy had worn the same set of clothing for about a month while she hid under a cave on this godforsaken island.

Leather sandals slid onto her feet.

"It has to be done Daisy." She said, coaching herself with a reassuring pep talk. "You're strong."

The room that she had been sleeping in, had a door directly leading to the outside. She walked across the unfinished, unpolished, and un-lacquered floorboards of the small room.

Inhaled and exhaled deeply.

Opened the door, and set off into the village.

Despite it being night, this tiny village had somewhat of a teeming nightlife scene.

There were turned on lights illuminating the interiors of some of the buildings. Glowing through the shut windows.

As daisy walked down the village, several of the locals had stared at her. There stares weren't malicious or threatening, but ones of seeing something unusual. A blonde white woman wandering through their village was probably a rare sight.

Most of the people out and about this night, were congregated around the only bar in the village.

A bright blue neon sign spelling the word "bar" was mounted right above the front door.

The tavern had a slightly raised wooden platform attached to the building. It was were the locals could sit outside.

It was there that Daisy noticed the fisherman sitting down at one of the tables, chatting with some local man.

Daisy figured that she should mention to him that she was leaving his house, so that he wouldn't be shocked in case he happened to walk into her room and find her gone.

After all, he had been polite enough to offer his home to both her and Jason. It would only be courteous for Daisy to inform the man of her whereabouts.

Daisy ascended up the old wooden steps to the raised platform.

Somehow, this establishment had been set up with electricity. Unlike the other building in this village. There were many bright lights shining from the inside, as well as the outside.

The raised platform's railing had a long cord of dozens of small bright white lights. The cordage of tiny lights brought back Christmas memories for Daisy.

One Christmas in particular.

Daisy never had a Christmas tree in her house. As she hadn't ever bothered with buying one, since she had been living alone for quite some time. Grant never moved in with her. Although he would occasionally spend the night there.

But Jason had surprised her on the first Christmas that they had experienced as a couple. Jason had been living with Daisy for a while, but neither one of them had spent a Christmas together yet.

On Christmas day, Jason had woken up Daisy early in the morning, and told her that he had a surprise to show her. He led her down the hallway. All the while he had his hands over her eyes, guiding her to her surprise.

When Jason lifted his hand from her eyes, Daisy saw a brand-new Christmas tree. It was all decorated with ornaments and lights.

Jason told her that he'd set it up the night before, while she slept.

Daisy hadn't cared whether or not she had a tree up for the holidays, but she had appreciated the gesture all the same.

"_Merry Christmas, Daisy. You're all I want for Christmas._" Daisy had remembered Jason whispering in her ear. And she couldn't help but smile, and give him a kiss.

Daisy pushed that memory out of her head.

Nostalgia only made it harder on her.

Walking across the wooden deck, Daisy saw some characters that feel uneasy.

Although it was dark out, the assorted lights made their faces just barely visible. Several of the men that she walked past had menacing face tattoos and looked as if they'd been in a few life or death fights before.

_Probably former Rakyat warriors. I hope that none of them have seen me before._

_That's the last thing that I need. Some of Citra's goons looking for revenge ever since they'd lost their leader, and their purpose in life. _

Every step brought her closer to the kind fisherman. But she also had to walk past several men who had grizzled features and menacing face tattoos.

Daisy finally reached the fisherman. She made sure not to make eye contact with any of the tattooed men. Daisy's sixth sense told her that their eyes were fixed on her. Ignoring them seemed like the best course of action to take.

_I know how crazy some of these natives can be. I can remember them dragging me and my other friends out of the cave. After threatening us and shoving their gun barrels in our faces, we were blindfolded and taken to the temple. _

_Please God… don't let these men know who I am. _

"Excuse me sir. I wanted to thank you for offering your spare room for me to sleep in. But, well… I'm actually going leave now." Daisy stepped up to the fisherman, and gave him a smile.

"Leave?" The fisherman's eyes widened. "You're leaving the town? It's the middle of the night. Wouldn't you want to wait until tomorrow morning?"

Daisy saw the man sitting next to the fisherman give her a strange look. An unreadable expression.

_Why is that guy staring at me like that?_

"Well… I feel very compelled. Almost like I need to set out right this minute. I have to say what needs to be said." She told him, in a tone that expressed that she wasn't going to change her mind.

Now at in an attentive state, the fisherman straightened his back.

"Begging your pardon miss, but I don't think it's a smart decision to go wandering on this island at night. You could trip over a rock… and there are some dangerous animals out there." The fisherman sounded genuinely concerned.

He resumed. "I'd feel just awful if any kind of misfortune happened to you."

His words were true. There wasn't any denying that it would be safer for Daisy to wait until the sun rose up in the morning.

"You are right. But… I just… this feels like something that needs to be done now. Besides, I haven't been able to sleep, and will probably not be able to for the rest of the night anyways." Daisy said.

Nervously, she started rubbing her left forearm with her right hand. Trying to calm herself down.

She was uneasy by the stares from all of the tattooed men who sat just over an arm's length away from her. Even without looking in their direction, she could feel their eyes.

The fisherman exhaled deeply. For a second or two, he turned to look at the other man who was sitting at the table with him. And then looked back into Daisy's eyes.

"Well… at least, would you let me travel with you? At least, until you get where you're going." The fisherman offered.

"Thank you." She began. "But this is something that I need to do alone."

"I see." The fisherman looked her up and down. "You are headstrong, I can tell. Just like my wife was.

The fisherman gave a little laugh. "Whenever she wanted to do something, she wouldn't let anyone talk her out of it. Very stubborn, that woman was. Stubborn, but persistent."

Daisy gave him a courteous little smile.

"Ha-ha, yes! I had a joke that I would often like to tell people. And It would go: _I don't work for anyone, but my wife is my boss._ And she sure was that indeed." The fisherman had probably been waiting a long time to say that joke to someone that hadn't already heard it a million times.

"Sounds like the two of us would have gotten along." She commented.

"I don't think so." The fisherman said light heartedly. "You two would have argued _too_ much. And one stubborn woman is already enough to deal with. It would be exhausting having to deal with _two_ of them."

The jolly fisherman chuckled. Daisy lightly chuckled alongside with him.

"Well, I figured I would let you know where I had gotten off to." Daisy said, as she turned to make her exit.

"Well then." Said the fisherman. "You just travel safe, alright?"

"I will." Daisy walked quickly across the platform. Shortening the amount of time that the Rakyat could stare at her. She wanted to get away from them as fast as possible.

They studied her, as she walked away, with weary and unwelcoming gazes.

The weathered wooden steps creaked as Daisy descended down them. Almost a ghostly sound. An eerie sound that brought back memories of the house that she lived in when she was a little girl.

Reminding her of her childhood home.

When Daisy was six years old, her family moved from Maine and all the way across the nation to sunny southern California. The reason for their move, was due to Daisy's father earning and important promotion up the corporate ladder at his job, requiring him to relocate.

Since she was so young when she moved to Santa Monica, Daisy didn't have a Maine accent. But her parents still retained their accent. And her older sister had less of an accent when compared to her parents, but still slightly recognizable.

Their new house in Santa Monica was very nice. But the creaking noises that the house would make, would frighten the young Daisy.

For the first year that she lived in the house, Daisy would have trouble sleeping at night whenever the house shifted and the walls and floorboards squeaked and thumped.

Still a small child, she would pull the covers over her face every time she got scared.

Some nights, Daisy would run to her sister's room and jump into her bed.

"_There's ghosts and monsters in the house. Make them stop._" The little Daisy would plead to her older sister.

Her eleven-year-old sister would respond. "_Daisy, don't let yourself get scared. No matter how much anyone or anything tries to scare you, you have the power to not get scared. Next time you start to fell afraid or scared, just tell yourself-"_

\- **"**You _can't_ scare me. I _won't_ let you scare me**."**

And then Daisy's sister would let her snuggle up close, while she ran her fingers through Daisy's blonde hair.

It took some time. But eventually, Daisy stopped getting scared from the eerie sounds that the house would make. Fearfulness and terror soon found no place inside the young Daisy. She would grow up to become a strong woman. Always doing her best to not let anyone or anything frighten her ever again.

Although, that wasn't always the case.

No one can stop themselves from getting scared forever. At some point, something will come along that will frighten even the most resilient person.

"Oh, young lady! Hold up for a moment." The fisherman came down the steps.

Daisy turned around. "What wrong?"

"Oh, no. Nothing's wrong." He reassured her. "But there is something that I thought that I needed to communicate with you."

"And what would that be?" She asked.

The kind old fisherman put his right hand gently on her left shoulder. His hand felt like some friendly old uncle, as he came over to visit his niece.

"I don't know what it was that he did to you. Or how severe it was." The fisherman began. He paused for a brief moment. Looking as if he was carefully choosing his next words.

He took a deep breath and continued. "Several times in my life, I had hurt my wife because of some of the things that I'd done. She wouldn't want anything to do with me for days at a time. A couple of times, it was several weeks before we'd speak again."

"He did something to me that I don't think that I can forgive." Daisy told the man before he could get another sentence out.

"I can tell that he did something terrible. And you don't have to tell me what it was. That's between you and him." The fisherman said. "But when I would hurt my wife, I would take the initiative and see what I could do to mend things between us, and make things right. Taking back the stuff that I'd said or done was impossible. All that I _could_ do, was to try and move on and continue to love her more and more each day. That's all any of us can do when we hurt the ones that we love."

"It wasn't _me_ that did anything wrong. _He_ is the one that hurt me. Jason lied to me for several years. He lied about-" Daisy was stopped by the fisherman, as he waved his other hand and muttered something inaudible.

"Please ma'am." The fisherman shook his head from side to side. "I'm not picking sides here, and I'm not placing blame on anyone. It is clear that he did something to you to earn your disappointment and displeasure. All I am trying to communicate with you is that… well…"

He stopped for a second.

Then he resumed. "Over my many years fishing around these islands, I've seen many young couples of tourists from America and other countries vacation on the Big Island. And none of them were _truly_ in love. But in the extremely short time that I have known the two of you, I can tell that you two have something special. The way that he looks at you, I've never seen another man so in love as he is. I guess it's my sixth sense, but I know that the two of you are truly in love, in a way that I haven't ever seen in all my decades of living. And it would be just a shame if you couldn't find away of forgiving him."

Daisy chewed on her bottom lip. At a loss of words.

_Forgive him? After what he did?_

_Is that even possible? _

"Maybe… forgiveness isn't the right word. But Jason, he strikes me as a man who has a good soul. A conflicted and burdened soul, but a good one. I've known other men like him. They've done and said things that the wish could be taken back." He told her.

Daisy lowered her eyes to her sandals. Her unpolished toenails jutted out from underneath their leather arches.

_Maybe I should have worn tennis shoes. _

_But then my feet would get too hot._

She didn't think that she could forgive Jason, but at the same time, she knows how much that he loves her.

The fisherman gave her one final parting thought. "Men who don't have a good soul, they don't feel ashamed of the terrible things that they have done."

This kind old fisherman had just shared his thoughts, which inadvertently caused Daisy to reexamine her decision to break up with Jason.

"Well, um… thanks. I uh, see you later." Daisy's words awkwardly stumbled and tumbled out from her mouth.

Second guessing herself, Daisy walked away from the fisherman and headed down the dirt road out of the village.

"Stay safe now!" The fisherman shouted to Daisy.

Unable to verbally respond due to her mind being preoccupied, Daisy simply waved at him courteously with her left hand.

The trail became darker and darker with every step that Daisy took. The artificial lighting from the village no longer shone on the path. But the natural moonlight was surprisingly bright enough to clearly outline the path.

A full moon that made Daisy think of Jason. Particularly, the nights when she would cuddle up beside Jason in the backyard as the two of them gazed up into the night sky and stared at the full moon. Daisy would always feel so comfortable as she laid her head in Jason's lap as he stroked her hair. Each one of his fingers feeling so pleasant as they ran through her blonde hair.

Jason's hands are covered in a rough and tough layer of skin. But as they gently ran through her hair, his fingers felt soft and smooth. On a couple of rare occasions, Daisy would fall asleep in Jason's lap as a result of feeling safe and secure in Jason's presence.

An indeterminate length of time passed as Daisy strolled down the dirt trail. She was stunned and amazed by the simple fact that the stars were so clearly visible in the night sky. In Santa Monica the moon was the only thing visible in the sky at night. Most likely due to southern California being so densely populated that the various forms of urban pollution formed a cloudy layer between the ground and the magic of the night sky.

Strangely, time accelerated for Daisy and in what felt like a mere few minutes, she had found herself at the cave entrance.

_Wow, that didn't take very long at all. _

_How did I manage to arrive her so quickly? _

_Was it really just a few minutes since I left that village? _

_Or has it been much, much, longer? _

_The moon is still in the center of the sky. So It couldn't have been that long. _

_Could it? _

Rays from the moonlight reflected off the moist and shiny stone walls of the cave. Enough that the inside of the cave was visible.

Visible… but dark and dim at the same time.

Daisy descended down into the earth. All the while walking adjacent to the cave wall. The palm of her right hand continually touch the cold stone walls as she walked, so that she could lean against it if she were to lose her footing.

"Jason?" Daisy had found Jason asleep next to a gigantic stalagmite.

The right side of his head laid on top of his canvas backpack. And his back was facing her.

Knowing that he was a deep sleeper, Daisy walked up behind him. Knelt down and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Jason? Hey?" She lightly shook his shoulder in an attempt to wake him. But it didn't work.

For about thirty more seconds, Daisy tried to wake Jason from his sleep.

Discouraged, and unable to wake him, Daisy sighed.

She then sat down behind Jason's sleeping figure and rested her elbows on top of her raised knees.

"I hope that you can hear me in your sleep. Just like how you were able to hear me while you slept, as I was getting ready to leave for work that one day. As I was getting ready for work." She said out loud.

A minuscule gust of wind blew past the mouth of the cave. But that small pulse of wind caused a howling inside of the cave. As if the earth was speaking to Daisy.

What exactly the cave was trying to relay to Daisy, well that was open to anyone's interpretation.

A minute passed by, and then another, which snowballed into several minutes. All the while she sat on top of the cold stony surface without saying anything.

Finally, she broke her silence. "I want to forgive you for what you did. I wish that I could just blame your actions on you having mixed emotions with a surge of adrenaline all coming together at once."

Her fingers began to get cold. It was caused by the cold dampness of the cave.

Daisy rubbed her hand together, letting the friction warm her skinny fingers.

"Deep down in my heart, I do not believe that you're an inherently evil man." She sadly expressed. "But the things that you had to do. The people that you killed, touring your brother, that all forced you to change from the sweet guy who would talk with me about my flower garden… to someone else."

Regardless of how long she'd been talking, Jason was still deep in sleep. Not moving at all except when he breathed.

Knowing that he wasn't likely to wake, Daisy laid her hands over top of his arm. His body's heat quickly rejuvenated her skinny fingers with warmth.

"We love each other more than should be physically possible. And I feel that if I left you, then you'd spiral into madness and lose your sanity altogether. And you've already lost too much of your former self on these islands, that I don't think that you have much of yourself left to lose." She held back tears.

Walking around his body, Daisy now stood facing him. His eyes were closed. Still sleeping.

Without speaking, she got down to the stone floor and cuddled up to Jason's body.

As if it was instinct, the moment that Daisy's back pressed up against his chest, Jason gently wrapped his left arm around her torso. All while he remained asleep.

_It's like we're meant to be together._

Daisy opened her mouth with the intention to continue speaking. But soon closed her lips, unable to think of what words would express properly the way she felt about _everything_.

So, she began to silently think.

Hoping that Jason could hear her thoughts.

_Oh, Jason… _

_Jason…_

/

* * *

(_To Be Continued_)

**A/N:** Leave a review if you want. I'd like to read some feedback.


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